How the 2nd round of Islamabad talks fell apart (for now)
Although Iranian officials have been noncommittal in their public messaging on a second round of in-person talks with the U.S., the Trump administration had received assurances in recent days that an Iranian delegation would likely travel to Islamabad for the planned negotiations this week, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The tone of messages exchanged behind the scenes started to shift at the beginning of the week. Doubts that the talks would happen as scheduled were building through Monday, one official said, and by early Tuesday morning, it became all but certain that Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad would be suspended.
The officials said those assurances were communicated through mediators. It’s unclear whether they were also expressed through any direct channels with Iran.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a White House official said, "In light of President Trump’s TRUTH Social post confirming the United States is awaiting a unified proposal from the Iranians, the trip to Pakistan will not be happening today. Any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House."
After a flurry of White House meetings with his top aides and negotiating team on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced he will continue the blockade of Iranian ports and will "extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other."
Trump further said the U.S. will "hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal."
Another official told ABC News that communications with Iran are ongoing, and that the U.S. still expects to receive the proposal Trump references in his statement over the course of the coming days.
The ceasefire was to expire on Wednesday.
Before Trump's announcement, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said no final decision had been made on whether Iran would attend talks in Pakistan.
"It is not due to indecision," Esmaeil Baqaei said in a phone interview on Iranian state TV, but rather due to "contradictory messages, inconsistent behavior, and unacceptable actions by the American side."
"From the very outset, we have faced violations of the ceasefire by the opposing side, including measures such as a naval blockade," Baqaei said, adding that Iran will pursue a diplomatic track "whenever it determines that such a path serves its national interests."
Trump is now doing what he said he would not do -- extending this ceasefire -- and doing so indefinitely. This is the fifth self-imposed deadline related to the war that Trump has blown through, according to ABC News' count. But this time he is not providing a new deadline for how long this extension will last.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump told CNBC he did not want to extend the ceasefire and again threatened to resume bombing. He also said Iran had no choice but to accept a deal. On Monday, the president said it was "highly unlikely" he would extend the ceasefire.
When asked if he would resume attacks if there was not real progress towards a deal by the end of Wednesday, Trump said, "Well, I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with. But we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go."
Trump said Tuesday that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, who have been brokering talks between the U.S. and Iran, had asked the U.S. to hold off on resuming attacks.
Sharif thanked Trump for agreeing to extend the ceasefire, in a statement calling the move "critical to advancing ongoing diplomatic efforts" and added that Pakistan remains committed to pursuing a peaceful resolution.
Moments after announcing the extension, Trump spoke to members of college championship teams at the White House but he declined to take any questions on Iran or on his announcement.
ABC News' Mary Bruce and Emily Chang contributed to this report.
