US–Iran negotiations appear to be deadlocked as Tehran refuses to participate in planned talks in Islamabad, despite President Donald Trump 's unilateral extension of a ceasefire.
Late on Tuesday, Trump announced a 24‑hour extension of the ceasefire , now due to expire on Wednesday evening Washington time, early Thursday in Tehran, saying the move was intended to allow more time for negotiations and for Iran to submit a formal proposal.
"[I] will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," he posted on Truth Social, framing the decision as a final window for diplomacy and saying it came at Pakistan's request to delay attacks while Iranian leaders attempt to reach a unified position.
Iran has said it will not take part in negotiations with Washington while the US maintains its blockade of Iranian ports, and has continued its own blockade in the Strait of Hormuz with an attack on a Greek vessel reported on Wednesday.
Prof Clionadh Raleigh, president and CEO of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a global monitor that tracks conflict, said Trump's announcement of an indefinite ceasefire highlights how Washington is trying to impose form on an otherwise opaque policy.
"The deterrence is a way to kind of put a shape on what is shapeless in terms of a strategy on the Trump administration side," Raleigh told The New Arab , arguing that the White House was relying on the threat of renewed strikes to force clarity and movement from Tehran rather than a conclusion to the crisis.
Iranian officials greeted the extension with open scepticism, making clear they will not travel to Islamabad as long as the blockade remains in place.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said the blockade itself violates the ceasefire and suggested Tehran has received indications Washington may be prepared to ease it. "We have received some sign that they are ready to break it. And as soon as they are ready to break the blockade, I think that the next round of negotiations will take place in Islamabad ", he said.
Iran has yet to send a delegation, even as Trump announced that Vice President JD Vance would arrive in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday.
Earlier, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said it was "a truth universally acknowledged" that "a single country in possession of a large civilisation will not negotiate under threat and force ", describing this as a "substantial, Islamic and theological principle".
The message underlined Tehran’s attempt to frame its refusal as a stance rooted in dignity and doctrine rather than simple intransigence. Strait of Hormuz and the risk of renewed fighting A central bargaining chip in the standoff is the Strait of Hormuz , the strategic waterway that Iran has long treated as its key source of leverage.
Prof Raleigh said Iran’s current position reflects "its frustrations, because its crown jewel, its centre of gravity, has just been kind of wrestled from it and the strategy of the IRGC".
She argued that pressure in and around the Strait has shifted the balance: "It's placed Iran on the back foot, which is, I think, exactly what the US needed to do in order for Iran to start making concessions."
Trump has claimed Iran has agreed to some concessions, assertions Iranian officials have publicly denied, and analysts warn that the gaps are still too wide for a quick breakthrough .
As the ceasefire deadline approaches, both sides appear to be preparing their publics and armed forces for the possibility of a return to war.
An adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament and the country’s chief negotiator, described the truce extension as a "time-buying manoeuvre" to pave the way for a surprise US attack, a suspicion Prof Raleigh said she shares, suggesting Trump’s move could be a "ruse".
Iran’s UN ambassador warned that "if they are seeking a political solution, we are ready; but if they choose war, Iran is also prepared for it".
Prof Raleigh was blunt about the trajectory, saying she has "pretty high confidence that there'll be more fighting", and that it may begin if Iran attempts to break the blockade.
Tehran has underscored its defiance with military parades as the ceasefire neared its original expiry on Tuesday evening, showcasing weapons to crowds of flag-waving supporters.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared its forces at "the highest level of readiness and resolve" and pledged a "decisive and immediate response" that would deliver "harsh and unexpected blows" to enemy assets in the region.