U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) set the ceasefire expiration for 3:30 a.m. Iran time on Wednesday (9 a.m. Korea time), delaying it by one day. Trump ruled out the possibility of any further ceasefire extension.
Iran, which had been tugging over whether to participate in talks until the last moment, is now expected to attend. The Wall Street Journal and CNN reported Sunday, citing officials, that Iran had informed mediators of its intention to send a negotiating team to the second round of talks, which is scheduled to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday morning.
Observers suggest the United States may step back on the key issue of Iran's nuclear program. The WSJ reported that "officials familiar with the U.S.-Iran negotiations said a degree of flexibility has been detected in recent discussions surrounding Iran's uranium enrichment issue." The plan currently under consideration by mediators would have Iran halt uranium enrichment for 10 years, then permit the production of limited quantities of low-enriched uranium for at least another 10 years. Iran is reportedly exploring whether Washington is open to allowing some enrichment-related activities after the 10-year suspension period.
Meanwhile, military tensions remain high. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday posted a map on X, formerly Twitter, marking occupied territory that included 21 villages in southern Lebanon. The U.S. Department of Defense said on X on Saturday that it had boarded and searched the motor tanker (M/T) Tiffany, a sanctioned vessel linked to Iran, within the area of responsibility of the Indo-Pacific Command. The move came amid concerns that the second round of negotiations could fall apart after the U.S. military recently seized the Iranian vessel Tusca at sea and opened fire. On the same day, Trump ratcheted up pressure again with a brief post on Truth Social, writing, "Iran has violated the ceasefire agreement multiple times!"
