• Donald Trump says he will extend the ceasefire with Iran until talks between the two countries have progressed

• The US president says the blockade of Iranian ports will also continue until Tehran presents a “unified proposal”

• The status of the US-Iran talks had been unclear with the current ceasefire previously due to expire this week

• Vice President JD Vance did not depart for Islamabad as expected on Tuesday, remaining in Washington, the White House has since told reporters he will now not be going

• Iran too had not decided whether to send a delegation to Pakistan for talks with the US talks, a foreign ministry spokesperson told the BBC

• With this ceasefire extension, Trump has bought himself more time and indicates he is increasingly interested in ending this conflict, our Washington correspondent writes

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Elias Hazrati, a senior Iranian government communications official, says Iranian negotiators “make decisions collectively and carry out their duties under the direction” of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Since his succession to the position of his father in early March, Mojtaba Khamenei is yet to be seen in public or in recent videos and photos.

So far, all we’ve seen have been written messages attributed to him on Iranian outlets.

Based on the written messages, Mojtaba Khamenei has not explicitly mentioned the negotiations, although in some of the messages attributed to him, he has criticised the US.

In a message attributed to him published on 18 April, Khamenei praised Iran’s army for fighting “two armies at the vanguard of the front of the non-believers and [global] arrogance”, referring to the US and Israel.

We’re still yet to see whether Iran’s delegates will participate in the talks with the US in Islamabad or not.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

It’s been another confusing day in Washington, where it remains unclear when – and if – Vice President JD Vance and the rest of the US negotiating team will head to Islamabad for talks with their Iranian counterparts.

In the last half hour or so, the New York Times reported, citing an anonymous source familar with the situation, that the trip has been postponed after Iran failed to respond to the US negotiating position.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment on whether the team is expected is to depart later or whether the trip postponed indefinitely.

What we can say with certainty, however, is that JD Vance is not on his way, or even at the airport.

It has been confirmed to multiple news outlets by administration staff that Vance is participating in policy meetings here at the White House. Journalists outside doing TV appearances also spotted his motorcade arriving a short while ago.

There is also considerable confusion regarding when, exactly, the ceasefire expires. Pakistan and Iran say it ends at midnight tonight, but it’s unclear if the US has put a specific time stamp on its expiration – Trump only having said it expires on Wednesday evening.

It’s entirely possible that any official comment that the ceasefire has been extended will come through Truth Social – or when strikes are reported in Iran.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cx297218m9vt?page=2