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Trump: US to Extend Ceasefire With Iran04/22 06:13
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States was indefinitely
extending its ceasefire with Iran -- a day before it was to expire -- as a new
round of peace talks was on hold. The announcement appeared to ease fears that
the fighting, which had shaken energy markets and the global economy, would
promptly resume.
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States was
indefinitely extending its ceasefire with Iran -- a day before it was to expire
-- as a new round of peace talks was on hold. The announcement appeared to ease
fears that the fighting, which had shaken energy markets and the global
economy, would promptly resume.
Pakistan had planned to host a second round of talks, but the White House
put on hold Vice President JD Vance's planned trip to Islamabad as Iran
rebuffed efforts to restart negotiations.
Iran has not yet responded to Trump's announcement of the ceasefire
extension. Both countries have warned that, without a deal, they were prepared
to resume fighting.
Pakistan scrambles to get US and Iran to negotiate
Pakistani leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, worked
intensively to get both sides to agree to a second round of ceasefire talks,
according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they
were not authorized to speak to the media.
Sharif later thanked Trump for his "gracious acceptance" of Pakistan's
request, saying the ceasefire extension would allow ongoing diplomatic efforts
to proceed.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iran's state TV there
has been "no final decision" on whether to agree to more talks because of
"unacceptable actions" by the U.S., apparently referring to the U.S. blockade
of Iranian ports.
In a Truth Social post announcing the ceasefire extension, Trump said the
U.S. would continue the blockade.
As Vance put on hold a return trip to Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, Trump's
special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected in
Washington on Tuesday afternoon for consultations about how to proceed, said a
U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal
administration deliberations.
The official cautioned that Trump could change his mind on negotiating with
Iran at any time, and declined to predict what would happen. The official said
Trump has options short of restarting airstrikes.
Both sides remain dug in rhetorically
Before announcing the ceasefire extension, Trump had warned that "lots of
bombs" will "start going off" if there's no agreement before the Wednesday
deadline, while Iran's chief negotiator said that Tehran has "new cards on the
battlefield" that haven't yet been revealed.
A senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to
destroy the region's oil industry if war with the U.S. resumes. "If southern
neighbors allow the enemy to use their facilities to attack Iran, they should
say goodbye to oil production in the Middle East region," Gen. Majid Mousavi
told an Iranian news site.
Strait of Hormuz control key to negotiations
Iran's envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday that Tehran has "received
some sign" that the U.S. is ready to stop its blockade of Iranian ports.
Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said ending the blockade remains a condition
for Iran to rejoin peace talks. When that happens, he said, "I think the next
round of the negotiations will take place."
The U.S. imposed the blockade to pressure Tehran into ending its
stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which 20% of
the world's natural gas and crude oil transits in peacetime.
Iran's grip on the strait has sent oil prices soaring. Brent crude, the
international standard, was trading at close to $95 per barrel on Tuesday, up
more than 30% from Feb. 28, the day that Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran to
start the war.
Before the war began, the Strait of Hormuz had been fully open to
international shipping. Trump has demanded that vessels again be allowed to
transit unimpeded.
Over the weekend, Iran said that it had received new proposals from
Washington, but also suggested that a wide gap remains between the sides.
Issues that derailed the previous round of negotiations included Iran's nuclear
enrichment program, its regional proxies and the strait.
The US says its forces board sanctioned oil tanker
On Tuesday, the U.S. said its forces boarded an oil tanker previously
sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia. The Pentagon said in a
social media post that U.S. forces boarded the M/T Tifani "without incident."
The U.S. military did not say where the vessel had been boarded, though
ship-tracking data showed the Tifani in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and
Indonesia on Tuesday. The Pentagon statement added that "international waters
are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels."
The U.S. military on Sunday seized an Iranian container ship, the first
interception under the blockade. Iran's joint military command called the armed
boarding an act of piracy and a violation of the ceasefire.
Pakistan hopeful talks will proceed
Pakistani officials have expressed confidence that Iran will also send a
delegation to resume the talks -- the highest-level negotiations between the
U.S. and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The first round April 11 and
12 ended without an agreement.
Pakistan said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Tuesday separately with the
U.S. and China's top diplomats in Islamabad. China is a key trading partner of
Iran.
Security has been tightened across Islamabad, where authorities have
deployed thousands of personnel and increased patrols along routes leading to
the airport.
U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said the ceasefire extension was "an
important step toward de-escalation" that will create "critical space for
diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States,"
according to his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
Talks between Israel and Lebanon are to resume
In Lebanon, the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said in a statement it
had fired rockets and drones at Israeli forces for the first time since 10-day
truce took effect last Friday "in response to the blatant and documented
violations" by Israel.
Those violations, it said, included "attacks on civilians and the
destruction of their homes and villages in southern Lebanon."
The Israeli army said it responded by striking the group's rocket launcher.
Israeli officials have said they intend to maintain a buffer zone in southern
Lebanon -- an area that includes dozens of villages whose residents have not
been allowed to return.
Historic diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon are to resume on
Thursday in Washington, an Israeli, a Lebanese and a U.S. official said. All
three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the behind-the-scenes
negotiations.
The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met last week for the first direct
diplomatic talks in decades. Israel says the talks are aimed at disarming
Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement with Lebanon.
Fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah broke out two days
after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran to start the war. In
Lebanon, the fighting has killed more than 2,290 people.
Since the war started, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran,
according to authorities. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more
than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13
U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.
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