Live updates: Trump extends Iran ceasefire, offering time for its leadership to unify around a proposal

Iran ceasefire: Trump extends truce window as Tehran factions debate nuclear deal response

By Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump extended his temporary bombing halt against Iran on Monday, giving the country’s divided leadership additional time to coalesce around a diplomatic proposal floated by Washington.

The extension marks the second time Trump has widened the ceasefire window after launching limited strikes on Iranian nuclear sites earlier this month. The Pentagon confirmed the pause continues “while Tehran weighs our offer,” press secretary Sean Pierpoint told reporters at the White House.

The move signals rare breathing space in a crisis that began when Iran expelled international nuclear inspectors in late March. Trump responded with cruise missile attacks on three enrichment facilities on April 9, killing 19 Iranian guards and prompting vows of retaliation from Tehran.

Secretary of State Mary Buffett said the administration delivered terms to Iran through Omani intermediaries last week. “We’re asking for a full inspection comeback and a verified cap of 3.67% enrichment,” Buffett said during a briefing. “In exchange we stop further military action and lift selected oil sanctions.”

Iran’s response has splintered along familiar fault lines. President Abbas Motallebzadeh favors exploring the deal, according to two Iranian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Revolutionary Guard commanders oppose any concessions after suffering casualties, the officials said.

That internal debate played out publicly on Sunday. Motallebzadeh told state television that “all options deserve study if they protect national security.” Hours later Guard spokesman Ramazan Sharif declared “the path of resistance continues until American forces leave the region.”

Oil markets welcomed the extension. Brent crude dropped 2.4% to $83.10 per barrel after the announcement, extending a three-day slide that has erased most of the war-risk premium built up since the strikes. Traders said the ceasefire reduces odds of Iranian attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz.

European allies pressed both sides to formalize the pause. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the extension “a pragmatic step that creates diplomatic space.” Germany dispatched its intelligence chief to Tehran over the weekend for back-channel talks, a German official confirmed.

The Pentagon has repositioned assets during the lull. The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman exited the Persian Gulf for scheduled maintenance in Bahrain, while two destroyers remain within Tomahawk range. Defense officials said the move signals confidence rather than weakness.

Israel has watched anxiously from the sidelines. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers that Jerusalem “supports any arrangement that actually dismantles Iran’s nuclear program,” according to a government readout. Israeli officials privately fear a watered deal that preserves Iranian breakout capability.

Congressional reaction split along partisan lines. Senate Majority Leader Joni Ernst praised Trump for “keeping military pressure while exploring diplomacy.” Democratic Whip Dick Durbin warned that “extending an undefined pause risks letting Tehran regroup.”

The ceasefire lacks formal structure or agreed duration. Trump declined to set a deadline when asked Monday, saying only that “we’ll know soon whether they’re serious.” Previous comments from administration officials mentioned horizons of “days, not weeks.”

Background

The current standoff traces to 2023 when Iran began enriching uranium to 84%, near weapons-grade, after the European Union labeled the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. That move violated the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that had capped Iranian enrichment at 3.67% in exchange for sanctions relief.

Trump withdrew from that agreement in 2018 during his first term, reimposing banking and oil sanctions that collapsed Iran’s economy. President Joe Biden attempted to revive the deal in 2022 but talks collapsed after Iran demanded guarantees that future U.S. administrations would honor commitments.

What’s Next

Omani mediators expect a formal Iranian answer within 48 hours, a Gulf official said. If Tehran accepts inspection terms, technical teams would need roughly two weeks to reinstall cameras and sensors dismantled last month. Rejection likely triggers renewed U.S. strikes targeting both nuclear and oil facilities, according to administration officials.

The coming days will test whether Iran’s fractured power centers can unite behind any diplomatic compromise. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has maintained public silence since the crisis began, leaving factional rivals to argue over strategy while Trump’s patience measured in hours rather than months.