Iran Refuses Negotiations as Trump Prolongs Ceasefire

At the final hour of the ceasefire countdown, the situation in U.S.-Iran talks dramatically reversed.

According to Xinhua News, Iran officially refused to attend the second round of U.S.-Iran talks scheduled to be held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on April 22 in the evening of April 21st.

The report stated that Iran believes the U.S. is obstructing any substantial agreement, and participating in the negotiations is a waste of time. Iran also announced this news through Pakistan, stating that to fully uphold the rights of the Iranian people, the Iranian delegation will not travel to Pakistan on the 22nd. According to the Iranian Student News Agency, a member of the Presidium of the Iranian Parliament, Nadri, said that day, "We will not hold a second round of negotiations before the issue of the naval blockade is resolved."

After the U.S. stock market closed on Tuesday, April 21st, according to CCTV News, President Trump posted on social media that in response to the request of the Chief of Army Staff and Prime Minister of Pakistan, the U.S. will temporarily hold off on military strikes against Iran.
Trump said that due to "serious internal divisions within the Iranian government," the U.S. has decided to extend the ceasefire and has called on Iran to propose a unified negotiation plan first. During this period, the U.S. military will continue to impose a maritime blockade on Iran and maintain a state of military readiness. The ceasefire will continue until Iran submits a plan and completes negotiations, "regardless of the outcome."

In the early morning of April 22nd local time, in response to Trump's statement on extending the ceasefire, Iranian state television stated that Iran has already become the victor in the battlefield. Controlling the Strait of Hormuz is an extremely valuable chip Iran has gained in this war. Iran agreed to a pause in military combat, but the war is not over. At the same time, Iranian state television also pointed out that Iran must be vigilant to any statements implying that Iran must participate in negotiations, or else the enemy will attack Iran. Even if the naval blockade is lifted, Iran's participation in negotiations must be on the condition of not proposing any topics that violate Iran's independence and dignity, with the foremost being Iran's defense and missile capabilities as well as nuclear capabilities and technology.

Trump's post reads,

"Given the serious internal division in the Iranian government," the U.S. has responded to the request of Pakistan's Army Chief Muneer and Prime Minister Shabazz, "to hold off on launching an attack against Iran until their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified plan. Therefore, I have instructed our military to continue maintaining the blockade. In other aspects, the military must remain highly alert and ready for combat."

"In view of this, the ceasefire period will be extended until the other party's plan is submitted and the relevant consultations are completed - regardless of the final outcome."

The U.S. and Iran began a ceasefire on April 8th, Beijing time, which was set to end on April 22nd, or late on April 21st Eastern time. Last week, there were reports that the U.S. and Iran were considering extending the ceasefire, and the two countries agreed in principle to extend the ceasefire period, but neither U.S. nor Iranian officials confirmed it.

As late as Monday, Trump had said that if the U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement, it was "almost impossible" to extend the ceasefire. According to Xinhua, Trump said on Tuesday that he did not want to extend the ceasefire agreement with Iran, and the U.S. military is ready for combat, resuming bombing Iran after the ceasefire expires.