PresidentDonald Trumpsaid Tuesday the United States was indefinitely extending itsceasefirewithIrana day before it was to expire as a new round ofpeace talkswas on hold. The announcement appeared to ease fears that the fighting, which had shaken energy markets and the global economy, would promptly resume.

Pakistanhad planned to host a second round of talks, but theWhite Houseput on hold Vice President JD Vances planned trip toIslamabadas Iran rebuffed efforts to restart negotiations.

Iran has not yet responded to Trump's announcement of the ceasefire extension. Both countries have warned that, without a deal, they were prepared to resume fighting.

Pakistan scrambles to get US and Iran to negotiate

Pakistani leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, worked intensively to get both sides to agree to a second round of ceasefire talks, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Sharif later thanked Trump for his gracious acceptance of Pakistans request, saying the ceasefire extension would allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to proceed.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Irans state TV there has been no final decision on whether to agree to more talks because of unacceptable actions" by the US, apparently referring to the US blockade of Iranian ports.

In a Truth Social post announcing the ceasefire extension, Trump said the US would continue the blockade.

As Vance put on hold a return trip to Islamabad, Pakistans capital, Trumps special envoySteve Witkoffand son-in-lawJared Kushnerwere expected in Washington on Tuesday afternoon for consultations about how to proceed, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.

The official cautioned that Trump could change his mind on negotiating with Iran at any time, and declined to predict what would happen. The official said Trump has options short of restarting airstrikes.

Both sides remain dug in rhetorically

Before announcing the ceasefire extension, Trump had warned that lots of bombs will start going off if theres no agreement before the Wednesday deadline, while Irans chief negotiator said that Tehran has new cards on the battlefield that haven't yet been revealed.

A senior commander in Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to destroy the region's oil industry if war with the US resumes. If southern neighbors allow the enemy to use their facilities to attack Iran, they should say goodbye to oil production in the Middle East region, Gen. Majid Mousavi told an Iranian news site.

Strait of Hormuz control key to negotiations

Irans envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday that Tehran has received some sign that the US is ready to stop its blockade of Iranian ports.

Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said ending the blockade remains a condition for Iran to rejoin peace talks. When that happens, he said, I think the next round of the negotiations will take place.

The US imposed the blockade to pressure Tehran into ending its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which 20% of the worlds natural gas and crude oil transits in peacetime.

Irans grip on the strait has sent oil prices soaring. Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at close to $95 per barrel on Tuesday, up more than 30% from Feb. 28, the day that Israel and the US attacked Iran to start the war.

Before the war began, the Strait of Hormuz had been fully open to international shipping. Trump has demanded that vessels again be allowed to transit unimpeded.

Over the weekend, Iran said that it had received new proposals from Washington, but also suggested that a wide gap remains between the sides. Issues that derailed the previous round of negotiations included Irans nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and the strait.

The US says its forces board sanctioned oil tanker

On Tuesday, the US said its forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia. The Pentagon said in a social media post that US forces boarded the M/T Tifani without incident.

The US military did not say where the vessel had been boarded, though ship-tracking data showed the Tifani in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia on Tuesday. The Pentagon statement added that international waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels.

The US military on Sunday seized an Iranian container ship, the first interception under the blockade. Irans joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a violation of the ceasefire.

Pakistan hopeful talks will proceed

Pakistani officials have expressed confidence that Iran will also send a delegation to resume the talks the highest-level negotiations between the US and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The first round April 11 and 12 ended without an agreement.

Pakistan said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Tuesday separately with the US and China's top diplomats in Islamabad.Chinais a key trading partner of Iran.

Security has been tightened across Islamabad, where authorities have deployed thousands of personnel and increased patrols along routes leading to the airport.

UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said the ceasefire extension was an important step toward de-escalation that will create critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States, according to his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

Talks between Israel and Lebanon are to resume

In Lebanon, the Iran-backed militant groupHezbollahsaid in a statement it had fired rockets and drones at Israeli forces for the first time since 10-day truce took effect last Friday in response to the blatant and documented violations by Israel.

Those violations, it said, included attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages in southernLebanon.

The Israeli army said it responded by striking the group's rocket launcher. Israeli officials have said they intend to maintain a buffer zone in southern Lebanon an area that includes dozens of villages whose residents have not been allowed to return.

Historic diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon are to resume on Thursday in Washington, an Israeli, a Lebanese and a US official said. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the behind-the-scenes negotiations.

The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met last week for the first direct diplomatic talks in decades. Israel says the talks are aimed at disarming Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement with Lebanon.

Fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah broke out two days after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran to start the war. In Lebanon, the fighting has killed more than 2,290 people.

Since the war started, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, according to authorities. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

Originally published on France24