Donald Trump wants to refrain from serious attacks on Iran for the time being.Image: keystone
Although Iran does not want to negotiate, US President Donald Trump has unilaterally extended the ceasefire in the war. An overview.
April 22, 2026, 05:51April 22, 2026, 05:55
That’s what it’s about
Shortly before the end of the original two-week ceasefire, US President Donald Trump gave Iran more time to find a negotiated solution and surprisingly extended the ceasefire. So far, there has only been one statement from the divided Iranian regime from a spokesman for Parliament President Mohammed Ghalibaf, who stated that Trump’s announcement meant “nothing.” This does not mean that Iran has guaranteed an extended ceasefire. It is also unclear whether Israel will continue to silence the weapons.
The current developments in the live ticker:
That’s what Trump says
Donald Trump had previously threatened Iran again with serious attacks on energy infrastructure and civilian facilities if the government did not agree to new negotiations. Although this promise was not made, the US President is now backtracking. According to him, the reason for this is that the Iranian leadership is deeply divided and that the Pakistani government has strongly requested an extension of the ceasefire. He therefore wanted to wait until a united proposal came from the attacked country. The US President did not set a new deadline with an end date.
More on the power struggle in Iran:
Trump struck a noticeably harmless tone in his post: no new threats, no insults. That morning he had threatened that the military would be ready to go if no agreement was reached.
Meanwhile, Trump wants to stick to a key obstacle to the talks from Iran’s perspective. He ordered the US military to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz to ships coming from or heading to Iranian ports. Tehran portrayed the blockade as a violation of the ceasefire and an obstacle to further negotiations.
That’s what Iran says
So far there has only been an official statement from representatives of the Iranian regime. Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, rejected Trump’s announcement. He explained that this meant “nothing”.
The Tasnim news agency, which is considered the mouthpiece of the Revolutionary Guards, reported that Iran’s official position would be announced at a later date. The agency learned from sources that Tehran had not requested an extension of the ceasefire.
Tasnim further reported that Iran will not open the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for world trade, as long as the US naval blockade continues. If necessary, the blockade will be broken through force.
The political leadership, the opposing party to the military forces in the internal Iranian power struggle, around President Massoud Peseschkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has not yet issued a statement.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has not yet commented publicly on Trump’s announcement.Image: keystone
What happens next after Trump’s announcement?
What happens next is not clear. According to US media, the US government is somewhat perplexed by the Iranians’ silence. The US representatives attribute the lack of clear statements from the country to the division in the regime. According to US officials, CNN stated that the US delegation led by the Vice President was still ready to start talks – as soon as there was a clear statement and willingness from Iran.
With the extension for an indefinite period, Trump is taking a path that he had described as “very unlikely” just the day before. Instead, he insisted on an agreement to permanently end the war. Without an extension, according to Trump, the ceasefire would have expired on Wednesday (Washington local time), i.e. on Thursday night, Swiss time.
In this case, Trump had threatened serious attacks on the energy sector and civil infrastructure in Iran. A few hours earlier, the US president had accused Iran of repeatedly violating the ceasefire, which was sometimes seen as a possible justification for new attacks.
Harsh tones towards Washington also came from Iran: The military is ready for action and will not be surprised, the Tasnim news agency reported. New targets for possible attacks have been identified for a return to war. From the first moment the attacks resume, a “hell” will be created for the Americans and Israelis, it was said.
The backstory
After the USA and Israel attacked Iran, citing various and sometimes contradictory justifications and goals, and the Iranian regime responded with drone and missile attacks on numerous Gulf states, the warring parties agreed on a two-week ceasefire on April 8th. With the expiry date in sight, the parties tried to agree on a follow-up solution.
Should be on the weekend an agreement was close to being concludedbut failed at the last second after a series of public statements by Donald Trump. The Iranians apparently reacted with anger to Trump’s statements and subsequently rejected a further round of negotiations. A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance therefore decided not to travel to Pakistan at short notice.
According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, no Iranian representatives will initially travel to Pakistan for negotiations. The USA had not backed away from “excessive demands” in the past few days and there had therefore been no significant progress, it was said shortly before Trump unilaterally declared the ceasefire to be extended. Under the circumstances, taking part in the negotiations would be “a complete waste of time,” the report said.
con with material from the news agencies sda and dpa.