War in the Middle East: Donald Trump extends ceasefire with Iran once again

President Trump had indicated on Monday that the ceasefire between Iran and the United States was supposed to end in theory “Wednesday night, Washington time.”

Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, April 21, the extension of the ceasefire with Iran to give Tehran more time to negotiate, while maintaining the blockade of Iranian ports.

Speaking on his Truth Social platform, the American President announced that he had decided to “extend the ceasefire until Iran presents a proposal and discussions are concluded, one way or another.”

The Republican leader emphasized that he made this decision in response to “serious divisions within the Iranian government” and at the request of Pakistan, the main mediator.

However, he also stated that he had “ordered our armed forces to maintain the naval blockade” in the Strait of Hormuz.

JD Vance will not leave for Pakistan on Tuesday

The announcement by the American President came as Washington and Tehran disagreed on the expiration of the truce, with the former mentioning Wednesday night, Washington time, while the latter referred to this Tuesday, at midnight GMT.

Furthermore, the White House confirmed by the end of the day that Vice President JD Vance, tasked with leading potential new discussions with Iran in Pakistan, would not be leaving Washington on Tuesday, as initially planned.

“In light of President Trump’s message on Truth Social, confirming that the United States is awaiting a unified proposal from the Iranians, the trip to Pakistan will not take place today,” said a senior official from the American executive branch in a statement to the press.

The White House had never confirmed the Vice President’s trip, but had kept ambiguity about whether he was leaving the capital on Tuesday.

Almost two months after the start of hostilities triggered by Israel and the United States, Tehran has threatened from its side to resume strikes towards Gulf countries, jeopardizing global oil supplies.