The US and Iran ceasefire is expected to extend beyond its initial two-week phase, as both sides appear willing to continue negotiations despite the current deadlock, former US Central Command chief David H. Petraeus said. The existing ceasefire between the two sides is ending on April 22.
Petraeus, a former general who also served as CIA director, said there are strong signals that the ongoing ceasefire could be extended amid ongoing peace negotiations. “I think both the US and Iran want to extend the ceasefire,” he said during an interview aired on Monday.
His comments came after US President Donald Trump said he was preparing a second delegation for “Islamabad talks 2.0,” with Vice President JD Vance expected to lead the delegation again.
While Iran’s foreign minister spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that his country has decided not to participate in the second round of peace talks in Islamabad amid the ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports.
He, however, admitted that the situation in the Middle East continues to remain volatile, with both sides enforcing rival blockades in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, effectively disrupting maritime traffic.
He also said while the US has so far failed to achieve its stated objectives, the situation may continue to remain hostile but peaceful in the coming days with Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the US and Iran.
America’s main objective right now is to “open the Strait of Hormuz without any Iranian control, and then the US wants to extract the enriched uranium that Iran has hidden.”
On both issues, Iran has vowed to keep control of the Strait of Hormuz and also rejected transporting the 60 per cent enriched uranium outside the country under any condition.
Despite tactical success, Petraeus warned that failure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to free navigation could leave Iran “strategically somewhat strengthened,” even if militarily weakened.
Also read: Trump may visit Pakistan for deal with Iran: Report
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