First Trump made threats to Iran, and then unilaterally extended the truce. The US president continues to act chaotically, and critics doubt that he has any strategy at all.
Just a few hours before the deadline he announced for the truce between Iran and the US, Donald Trump extended it. A few hours earlier, the US president told the American television channel CNBC that he did not want to do such a thing.
Trump said that if an agreement with Iran is not reached soon, the US will resume its attacks. The US head of state also said that there will be a "great deal” for the US, and Iran has no other choice. However, Iran actually seems to have a choice - for example, not to show up for the talks or simply to drag them out, writes ARD. The US negotiating team, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, has not yet arrived in Pakistan because Iran continues to fail to confirm whether it will take part in the talks. This prompted Trump to announce that he will extend the ceasefire deadline until Iran presents a proposal for an agreement and the talks are concluded.
"Trump doesn't know how to get out of this"
Democratic representative in the US Congress Seth Moulton believes that Trump's change of course is a sign that Tehran is in control of the situation, not Washington. "The Iranians seem to understand how Trump thinks much better than he understands them," the opposition politician commented to CNN. According to Moulton, the Donald Trump administration is trying to buy time, but the president has no idea how to proceed now. "There is no plan and there never was. Trump himself doesn't know how to get out of this mess", the congressman also said.
According to national security expert Ben Sanner, the best way out is for the ceasefire to remain in place, but Trump continues to face a dilemma. He could decide to resume attacks or send Vance to Pakistan without knowing whether the Iranians will show up. The third option - to extend the ceasefire, as he did, is actually the best solution, the expert told CNN.
Iran believes that the extension of the ceasefire does not matter
Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social that his decision was made in response to Pakistan's request to refrain from new attacks until an offer for an agreement comes from Iran. However, such a move does not seem possible in the near future. Mahdi Mohammadi, an adviser to the chief negotiator and speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote in X that extending the ceasefire “has no meaning.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Iranian forces were on “maximum combat readiness” to resume hostilities. In a new phase of escalation, the armed forces could launch “devastating strikes against remaining military targets” in the region, the statement warned.
Iran believes the US blockade of Tehran’s ports and the Strait of Hormuz is in violation of the ceasefire. Trump has been adamant that the blockade will not be lifted, which is hampering potential talks. So it is currently unclear whether talks will even take place, and extending the ceasefire does not appear to change that.