President Trump abruptly pivoted on Tuesday, backing away from threats to resume military strikes against Iran and announcing an extension of a two-week ceasefire that he had moments earlier signaled was ending.
The reversal came after direct appeals from Pakistan's leadership. Trump cited what he described as a fractured Iranian government and explicitly noted requests from Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to hold off on military action until Iranian leaders could produce a unified peace proposal.
The timing caught observers off guard. Hours before the ceasefire extension announcement, Trump had told CNBC he saw no reason to extend the pause, claiming the United States held a commanding negotiating position and would "end up with a great deal." He had previously indicated that new targets could include Iranian power stations and civilian infrastructure.
Tuesday itself was volatile. A planned visit by Vice President JD Vance to Islamabad was postponed, and Trump's rhetoric escalated throughout the day, with him stating the US military was "raring to go."
Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has led recent negotiations for the Islamic regime, offered a sharp rebuttal. An adviser to Ghalibaf called the ceasefire extension "a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike" and argued that "the time for Iran to take the initiative has come."
Trump did signal one area where pressure would continue: he said the United States would maintain a military blockade of Iranian ports regardless of the ceasefire extension.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's whiplash on Iran reveals the volatility of his approach to foreign threats, and Pakistan clearly has more sway over his military decisions than public bravado suggests."
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