Korean Media: Vance's Pakistan Visit Reserved… Iran Does Not Respond to US Negotiation Terms

¬ Trump: "Extending Ceasefire with Iran Again… Accepting Request for Pakistan Mediation"

On the 21st, according to The New York Times, due to Iran’s failure to respond to U.S. negotiation conditions, Vice President J.D. Vance’s scheduled trip to Pakistan to attend U.S.-Iran peace talks has been temporarily postponed.

The two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire on the 22nd (Eastern Time). Both sides had planned to resume second-round negotiations, and Vance was scheduled to depart for Islamabad, Pakistan, on the morning of the 21st. However, according to U.S. officials familiar with the situation, the diplomatic process has effectively stalled due to Iran’s lack of response. While the trip hasn’t been fully canceled, it can be immediately resumed once President Donald Trump receives a satisfactory reply. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S.’s contradictory stance and erratic actions, stating that they have not yet decided whether to go to Pakistan.

There is also disagreement over the ceasefire deadline. Trump extended the cutoff time from the previous 8 p.m. on the 21st to 11 p.m. Eastern Time on the 22nd. However, on the 21st, Iran’s state television reported that the ceasefire would end at midnight GMT on the 22nd (8 p.m. Eastern Time on the 21st), as originally planned, denying the U.S.’s unilateral change in timing. Trump had previously repeatedly stated firmly that he would not extend the ceasefire further.

On the same day, Trump appeared on CNBC and expressed optimism about potential negotiations while warning: “If we fail to reach an agreement with the Iranian government, the U.S. military is already prepared to bomb Iran again.” The U.S. Department of Defense also said it is currently discussing military options in case Trump determines that Iran lacks genuine willingness to negotiate.

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On the 21st local time, U.S. President Donald Trump suddenly announced that he would extend the ceasefire with Iran for a second time—reversing his earlier repeated statements that he would not prolong the ceasefire.

In the afternoon of the same day, Trump posted a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying: "Based on the fact that the Iranian government is severely divided as expected, and in light of requests from Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, we have made this decision. We have received a request to suspend attacks on Iran until Iran’s leadership and delegation present a unified proposal."

Accordingly, Trump instructed the U.S. military to continue implementing existing blockade measures. He added: "I have directed the U.S. military to remain fully prepared and responsive across all fronts. We will extend the ceasefire until Iran presents a proposal and completes consultations in any form."

This decision to extend the ceasefire marks a reversal by Trump of his own position just hours earlier, when he had insisted that the ceasefire could not be extended. In a phone interview with U.S. economic media CNBC earlier that morning, Trump said regarding the possibility of extending the ceasefire: "I don't want to do it. Our time is running out. Bombing is expected to resume." The day before, during an interview with Bloomberg, he had declared that the likelihood of extending the ceasefire was "very low." Yet later that afternoon, he abruptly announced the extension on Truth Social—changing his stance within just half a day. Analysts suggest this reflects Trump’s typical pressure tactic: issuing tough rhetoric at the start of each negotiation round, then shifting position based on circumstances.

Trump’s inconsistent behavior regarding the ceasefire deadline has drawn sharp criticism. Initially, the first two-week ceasefire, agreed upon on the 7th, was scheduled to end at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the 21st, a deadline Iran consistently maintained. Conversely, Trump had recently quietly shifted the end date forward by one day in various media interviews, claiming it would now conclude on the 22nd evening.

Despite this, Trump announced the extension on the 21st at 4:09 p.m.—just one day before his self-claimed 22nd deadline. In fact, he acted prematurely, extending the ceasefire even before observing his own arbitrarily set deadline. In his statement, Trump only mentioned extending the ceasefire "until Iran presents a proposal and completes consultations in some way," without specifying exactly how many days the extension would last.

Regarding the fact that Trump accepted Pakistan’s ceasefire proposal as the official basis for this extension, some analysts point out that this mirrors the situation during the first ceasefire. On the 7th, when announcing the initial ceasefire, Trump also gave the appearance of accepting Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff’s proposal. However, subsequent reports from major international media outlets such as the Financial Times (FT) and The Guardian revealed that facing soaring oil prices and Iran’s unexpectedly strong resistance, the Trump administration had actually exerted intense behind-the-scenes pressure on Pakistan to mediate the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863223821934601/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author