President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran, which was due to expire on Wednesday, despite having threatened hours earlier that he expected to be bombing. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir had asked him to hold off on bombing plans, attributing the decision to “the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured.”
Trump added that the American naval blockade on Iran’s ports would remain in place while the ceasefire continues until a unified proposal from Iran is submitted and discussions concluded. The decision came hours after he told CNBC he was not inclined to agree to any extension, stating, “I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with.”
The ceasefire extension is the latest in a series of reversals that critics have derisively termed TACO (”Trump Always Chickens Out”). The pattern, established after last April's chaotic tariff rollout, involves Trump making an outrageous threat before walking it back, leading to market rebounds. Traders adopted the acronym from Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong.
Negotiations had been set to commence in Islamabad, but the US team led by Vice President JD Vance never left the country. Tehran’s negotiators refused to participate unless the blockade was lifted. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the blockade an “act of war” and a violation of the ceasefire, stating Iran knows how to resist bullying.
After the announcement, Trump posted a barrage of Truth Social messages defending his approach, attacking former President Barack Obama's record on Iran, criticising the Wall Street Journal, and targeting the Supreme Court. He insisted the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is effective, writing, “Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day.”
