President Donald Trump has unilaterally extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran until April, according to a statement on Tuesday. The move comes just hours after Trump claimed he 'expected to be bombing' and that the US military was 'raring to go'. The extension is intended to allow time for Tehran to submit a peace proposal, amid frantic efforts to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf dismissed Trump's ceasefire rhetoric as 'a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike'. His personal adviser added that 'the time for Iran to take the initiative has come'. Analysts note that Tehran is divided on how to respond to US pressure, with fierce disagreement among leaders over whether to risk a new wave of bombing.
In other news, voters in Virginia have approved new congressional maps designed to increase Democrats' chances of retaking the House of Representatives. The referendum is seen as a blow to Trump's gerrymandering efforts, which began last year when he pressed Texas to redraw its maps to oust Democratic lawmakers. The result could help Democrats win four additional House seats in November's midterms.
The Trump administration is reportedly in talks to resettle up to 1,100 Afghans who assisted US forces during the Afghanistan war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The group includes interpreters, relatives of US military members, and over 400 children, who have been in Qatar for a year. The DRC is experiencing an enormous displacement crisis due to decades of conflict.
