The ceasefire between the United States and Iran approaches its deadline with no agreement in place and no confirmation of new talks.<\/p>\n
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US President Donald Trump said he is prepared to resume the illegal military aggression against Iran if negotiations fail before the truce expires. \u201cWe\u2019re ready to go,\u201d he told CNBC<\/a>, adding that he does not want to extend the ceasefire because \u201cwe don\u2019t have that much time\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The two-week ceasefire, agreed on 8 April, is due to end on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Diplomatic efforts led by Pakistan have yet to secure a second round of talks in Islamabad. Pakistan\u2019s information minister Attaullah Tarar said a response from Iran remains pending and described the decision as critical.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Iran has not confirmed whether it will send a delegation. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told the BBC<\/a> that the decision remains under discussion and criticised US actions during the truce. \u201cWe went to this negotiation with good faith\u2026 but you have a negotiating party that has shown its lack of seriousness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The US has accused Iran of violating the ceasefire after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> after having it briefly open for commercial vessels<\/a> on Saturday. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the reversal was a direct result of the US upholding the blockade. Tehran also says a US strike and seizure of an Iranian-linked vessel in the Gulf of Oman violated the ceasefire.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The Pentagon confirmed that US forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indo-Pacific region as part of operations to disrupt networks supporting Iran. The operation took place \u201cwithout incident\u201d, according to a statement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n At the same time, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained under pressure.\u00a0The standoff at sea has become a central issue in negotiations. Iranian officials have linked participation in talks to the lifting of the US naval blockade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Regional tensions continue beyond the US and Iran. In southern Lebanon, exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have been reported despite a separate ceasefire. Israeli forces have kept illegally occupying parts of the area, and say they have established a\u00a0\u201cyellow line\u201d similar to the one in Gaza.<\/p>\n
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