US-Iran ceasefire extended until Iranians submit proposal, blockade to stay in place

President Donald Trump has indefinitely extended the US ceasefire with Iran, grounding the decision in a need to give Tehran’s fractured leadership time to produce a "unified proposal." 

However, the diplomatic gesture was paired with a stern warning that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will remain in place, a condition the President framed as non-negotiable.

President Trump stated that the US military remains "raring to go" if a deal is not reached. He emphasized the economic toll of the maritime siege, claiming the Iranian regime is "losing half a billion dollars a day" and that the waterway will not reopen "unless what remains of the country is wiped out, including its leaders.

The White House’s strategy is fueled by an assessment of deep internal divisions in Tehran, particularly around Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the economic squeeze is only beginning. "In a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in," Bessent stated, adding that "any person or vessel facilitating these flows risks exposure to U.S. sanctions."

In Tehran, the response has been one of defiance and deep mistrust. Iranian military officials have officially labeled the U.S. blockade and recent ship seizures as "acts of piracy." Following the U.S. Navy’s boarding of the Iranian-flagged tanker Touska, an Iranian military spokesperson warned, "The armed forces of the Islamic Republic will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy."

The standoff has led to a total collapse of planned negotiations in Pakistan. Iranian state media reported there are "currently no plans to participate" in further talks, as the regime has adopted a new precondition- demanding the U.S. lift its blockade before any delegation returns to the table. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a written statement read on state television, reinforced this uncompromising stance: "The responsibility for stopping the war lies with the other side. We will seek compensation for the war through any possible means."

With Vice President J.D. Vance’s trip to Islamabad now postponed and both nations trading threats of escalation, the extended ceasefire offers only a fragile pause. As Secretary Bessent noted, the administration’s "Economic Fury" campaign will continue to target Tehran’s "extortion of global energy markets" until a definitive resolution is reached