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Iran accuses US of ceasefire violations ahead of Trump’s extension

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by Sophie Brams - 04/21/26 4:40 PM ET

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by Sophie Brams - 04/21/26 4:40 PM ET

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Iran accused the U.S. again on Tuesday of violating the conditions of the temporary ceasefire, hours before President Trump announced he would extend the deadline as time was running out.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, one of the lead negotiators on the Iranian side, asserted in a post on the social platform X that the ongoing U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman amounted to “an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire.”

“Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation,” he wrote. “Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying.”

Control of the Strait of Hormuz has been a key point of tension in the conflict, with Trump saying the U.S. would maintain its naval blockade “until a deal is signed.”

The U.S. military has directed 28 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian point since the U.S. blockade went into effect two weeks ago, according to U.S. Central Command.

Naval forces also reportedly intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that was attempting to bypass the blockade over the weekend after issuing “multiple warnings.”

Araghchi’s veiled warning came as a second round of Pakistan-mediated talks aimed at reaching a longer-term deal to end hostilities appeared on the brink of collapse by Tuesday afternoon.

Vice President Vance was set to travel to Islamabad to represent the U.S. in further negotiations, but the White House reportedly delayed the trip as Tehran refused to commit to participating. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, were expected to join Vance.

The two-week ceasefire reached by the U.S. and Iran on April 7 was expected to expire on Wednesday, and Trump had previously insisted he was unlikely to agree to an extension without a deal on the table.

Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar “urged both sides to consider extending the ceasefire, and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance,” during a meeting with Natalie Baker, deputy chief of the U.S. embassy in Pakistan, on Monday, according to the ministry.

Trump reversed course on Tuesday afternoon, writing on Truth Social that Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked the U.S. to “hold our attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”

“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” the president wrote.

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