Giving a limited timeframe to Iran to come up with a unified proposal to get diplomatic negotiations back on track, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that peace talks with Iran are “possible” within the next 36 to 72 hours.
Trump said that the United States has extended the ceasefire with Iran to give Tehran time to come up with “a unified proposal.”
“It’s possible!” Trump told the New York Post when asked about the prospect of negotiations.
The administration does not want to indefinitely extend the ceasefire and does not want to give Iran time to drag out talks further.
It reflects that the administration’s wants to settle the conflict diplomatically.
The president believes the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will keep pressure on Iran while negotiations continue. However, there is also recognition within Trump’s team that the longer the blockade persists, the greater the potential damage to the global economy, US media reports.
Meanwhile, at least two container ships were hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz today, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The first was approached by a gunboat belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which gave no radio warning before it “fired upon the vessel,” the maritime authority said.
The IRGC said that two vessels were seized in the Strait of Hormuz and transferred to Iranian waters for “allegedly operating without proper authorization, repeatedly violating regulations, and manipulating navigation systems,” according to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
Iranian media also reported that a third vessel, a Greek-owned ship, was targeted by the IRGC and is “now disabled off Iran’s coast.”
President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran after an American negotiating team led by Vice President JD Vance delayed plans to travel to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks, as diplomatic efforts stalled amid uncertainty over Tehran’s participation.
“I have therefore directed our military to continue the blockade and remain ready and able, and will extend the ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
Iranian officials, however, remain divided. Mahdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iran’s parliament speaker, dismissed the ceasefire extension as a tactic and warned of retaliation, while Iran’s UN representative said Tehran is ready for talks if the blockade on its ports is lifted.
Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner previously held marathon talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad earlier this month but left without a breakthrough. Following those talks, Trump imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, demanding an end to uranium enrichment as a core condition for any deal.
