US Media: Trump Does Not Plan to Extend US-Iran Ceasefire Deadline

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on the 21st, a White House official said that U.S. President Trump does not intend to extend the U.S.-Iran ceasefire terms that expire on the 22nd. The report, citing people with knowledge of the matter, said that although Iran has not publicly confirmed whether it will send representatives to the talks in Islamabad, Iran has informed regional mediators that it will send a team to negotiate on the 21st. During a phone interview with U.S. media on the 20th, Trump insisted that Iran “will negotiate.” “They will negotiate, and if they don’t, they will face unprecedented problems.”

According to a report by the U.S. news website Axios on the 20th, U.S. Vice President Vance is expected to depart for Islamabad to hold talks with Iran in the morning of the 21st U.S. Eastern Time (the evening of the 21st Beijing time). The report also said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei has approved talks with the U.S. side. However, Iran has not yet confirmed whether it will send a delegation to Pakistan for U.S.-Iran talks. In a statement on the 20th, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that on that day, Iran’s Foreign Minister Aragchi spoke by phone with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dārtghon, saying that Iran will comprehensively assess factors from all sides and decide the direction of its next steps. At the early hours of the 21st, Kalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly, posted on social media, emphasizing that Trump is trying to turn the negotiating table into a “table of surrender” by blocking measures and violations of the ceasefire agreement, or to find an excuse to stir up war again, but Iran will not accept coercion. ( Xinhua News Agency )