President Trump has extended the two-week U.S.-Israel ceasefire against Iran by granting the nation another three to five days to submit a unified proposal before the truce expires. The decision followed reports that top Pakistani officials urgently requested the United States delay military action against Iran due to severe internal divisions among Iranian leadership.
U.S. officials confirmed Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged Trump to hold off on further strikes until Iranian authorities could present a cohesive peace offer. The president stated he had directed the military to maintain the blockade while remaining prepared for action, emphasizing that “the Government of Iran is seriously fractured” and “their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”
Despite this pause, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two cargo vessels—the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas—and attacked a third ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC later claimed to have detained the ships after they navigated without required permits. U.S. intelligence sources indicate Iranian military forces continued operations even as diplomatic channels remained stalled, with IRGC officials publicly rejecting recent negotiations and demanding the lifting of the naval blockade.
Vice President J.D. Vance and his negotiating team had prepared for new talks in Islamabad but were unable to depart after Iranian authorities refused participation. U.S. officials noted that Iran’s leadership is deeply divided between the military establishment and civilian negotiators, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei largely unresponsive and no single faction empowered to finalize commitments.
Trump stated that while he had “achieved everything militarily” in the conflict, the United States would not resume hostilities without a unified Iranian proposal. A U.S. source acknowledged that Iran’s financial collapse—reporting losses of up to $500 million daily—has intensified pressure on its leadership but underscored that the IRGC remains operational and actively disrupting trade routes in the Strait of Hormuz.