What happened during the night Iran war: Trump once again fails to make good on a threat

The peace talks between Iran and the USA were due to enter their second round this week. Now they have been suspended for the time being - and the ceasefire has been unexpectedly extended. And: Iran is reacting with skepticism. These are the developments of the past few hours.

Once again, Donald Trump is not making good on a threat: the ceasefire with Iran remains in place - indefinitely. The regime in Tehran is successfully playing for time.

blue News summarizes what happened on Wednesday night (22.4.).

US President Donald Trump has surprisingly extended the ceasefire with Iran unilaterally at the last minute for an indefinite period. At Pakistan's request, he will refrain from attacks until the leadership in Iran submits a "united proposal" to settle the war, he announced on Truth Social. However, the US naval blockade of Iranian ports will continue.

Tehran has not requested an extension of the ceasefire, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported, citing sources. Iran's official position will be announced at a later date, it said.

Meanwhile, an advisor to Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf dismissed Trump's announcement on Platform X as meaningless. The "losing side cannot dictate the terms", wrote Mahdi Mohammadi. The continuation of the US naval blockade is tantamount to bombing and must be responded to militarily.

Iran will not open the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for the global oil market, as long as the US blockade continues, reported the Tasnim news agency. If necessary, it will be broken by force, wrote the mouthpiece of the powerful Revolutionary Guards. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X shortly before the ceasefire expired: "Blocking Iranian ports is an act of war and therefore a violation of the ceasefire".

Ghalibaf, advisor to the speaker of parliament, suspects that Trump's extension of the ceasefire is a ploy to "gain time for a surprise attack". It is time for Tehran to take the initiative, Mohammadi wrote on X. A spokesman for the Iranian military wrote on the platform that they remained on "high alert" and were ready to "react quickly and decisively" to threats or actions by the enemy.

According to the Fars agency, a commander of the Revolutionary Guards named oil fields and refineries in neighboring Gulf states as potential targets if they continue to allow the US and Israel to "use their territory". The US regional command Centcom wrote on X that it remained operational.

Middle East expert Thomas Juneau from the University of Ottawa described the situation on X as a "fragile stalemate". Both sides expected the other to concede first. For the time being, both preferred not to resume fighting. "Each side believes it has the advantage," he wrote. Iran believes that Trump has a "significantly lower pain threshold" and will hesitate to resume the war in view of growing discontent in his own country and the upcoming midterm elections, it said.

The US magazine "Time" reported that the power situation in Iran has continued to consolidate since the start of the war. The responsibility for questions of war, diplomacy and escalation had increasingly shifted to a relatively closed military-security policy core. Iran's decision-making processes have changed since Modshtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader following the killing of his father, it was said.

US Vice President JD Vance canceled his trip to Pakistan on Tuesday. This means that negotiations have been suspended for the time being. As reported by the New York Times, the US government justified the move by saying that Tehran had not responded to US positions and demands.

For the time being, it remains unclear whether Iran feels bound by the ceasefire announced by Trump. The same applies to Israel. There was initially no reaction to Trump's announcement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran's arch-enemy and the USA started the war together on February 28. Without an extension, the ceasefire would have expired on Thursday night, according to Trump.

Against this backdrop, there are no signs of any real easing on the oil markets. North Sea Brent crude for delivery in June was back above one hundred dollars for the first time in a week before Trump's announcement. The price subsequently fell only slightly and was last at 99 dollars.