US President Donald Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran yesterday, hours before it was set to expire, to allow the two countries to continue peace talks.
In a statement on social media, Trump said he had agreed to a request by Pakistan, which has mediated peace talks, ‘to hold our attack on Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal’.
It was the latest instance of Trump backing down from his repeated threats to bomb power plants and other civilian infrastructure in Iran, which experts have warned could constitute war crimes.
Trump, who with Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, said he decided to extend the ceasefire because ‘the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so’, a reference to US-Israeli assassinations of some of its leaders, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been succeeded by his son.
Trump said he would continue the US Navy’s blockade of Iran’s ports and shore.
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