US and Iran want to extend ceasefire, media reports
Illustrative photo: ceasefire between the US and Iran (Getty Images)
The United States and Iran have agreed to extend their 60-day ceasefire, which expires on August 17. However, the sides have yet to determine how long the agreement will be extended, according to Anadolu.
Sides agree to extend ceasefire
The United States and Iran have conveyed their agreement to extend the ceasefire to mediators. However, the specific duration of the extension remains under discussion.
"Both sides have conveyed their consent to the mediators to extend the deadline," a source familiar with the mediation process said.
According to the source, Washington and Tehran continue to exchange messages to determine the duration of the new period covered by the agreement.
At the same time, the previously announced ceasefire cannot be described as a full cessation of hostilities. Despite the agreement, the sides continued to carry out strikes, meaning the ceasefire was not fully observed in practice. This has been one of the reasons why further agreements remain fragile.
Talks remain difficult
The 60-day period was set out in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement was intended to create conditions for further negotiations between the sides, but the process has encountered disagreements.
Among the key contentious issues are security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which is strategically important for global energy supplies.
In April, the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Pakistan, and on June 17 they signed a memorandum of understanding and began discussing a broader agreement.
Iran gives a different version of events
At the same time, reports of an agreed ceasefire extension remain disputed. On the same day, Reuters, citing a senior Iranian official, reported that there had been no talks between Washington and Tehran on extending the 60-day ceasefire.
According to Reuters, Tehran is insisting that the United States return to the terms of the interim agreement and set deadlines for fulfilling its commitments.
It should be recalled that US President Donald Trump has shifted his policy toward Iran toward economic pressure and waiting for the results of sanctions, abandoning an immediate escalation of military action. At the same time, sources say the administration understands that the chosen course could change at any moment following Trump's new statement on Truth Social.
