A frantic day of diplomacy in Washingtonpublished at 02:58 BST

02:58 BST

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

Tuesday began as a frantic day of diplomacy in Washington, with Air Force Two ready to fly Vice President JD Vance to Islamabad for another round of peace talks between the US and Iran.

Several hours later, Air Force Two hadn't taken off and the negotiations were postponed. President Donald Trump announced that he would extend the ceasefire with Iran, set to expire on Wednesday evening, to allow the regime more time to create a "unified proposal" to end the war.

In between, Trump weighed his options as the world waited to see if the countries were any closer to ending the war. Trump's decision marked the second time in as many weeks that he has backed off a threat to escalate the war, buying himself more time to wind down a conflict as it approaches the two-month mark.

Read more here.

Global oil prices fluctuated in early Asian trading on Wednesday as the status of peace talks between the US and Iran remains unclear.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said he will extend a ceasefire with Iran until talks between the two countries have progressed. He added that the US will continue to blockade Iran's ports until Tehran presents a "unified proposal".

After opening higher, Brent crude dipped by 0.2% to $98.32 (£72.73) a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was down by 0.3% at $89.41.

Energy markets have been volatile since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February and Tehran responded with threats to target shipping in the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Read more here.

As President Donald Trump says he will extend the ceasefire between the US and Iran until negotiations conclude, here's a reminder of the terms of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

• Iran and the US agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire on 8 April, which was due to expire on Wednesday
• President Trump said the deal was agreed on the condition that Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and other exports from the Gulf
• Iran agreed to allow vessels through the Hormuz Strait for two weeks, with their passage coordinated by the Iranian military

• US Vice President JD Vance travelled to Pakistan for peace talks but ultimately came back to Washington empty-handed after hours of negotiations
• With no deal reached, the US began imposing a naval blockade of Iran while officials also increased economic pressure including warning of secondary sanctions on foreign banks

There has also been a ceasefire in a separate but related front of the conflict - between Israel and Lebanon, the base of Hezbollah.

• President Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on 16 April, following the first direct talks between the two countries since 1993
• Iran's foreign minister said that "in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon" the Strait of Hormuz had been "declared completely open" - Tehran abruptly closed it again the following day when the US did not end its blockade
• The terms of the deal specify that Israel retains its "right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks"
• It also states that Lebanon must take "meaningful steps" to prevent Hezbollah and all other "rogue non-state armed groups" from carrying out attacks against Israeli targets

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Ahead of President Trump's announcement that he would extend the ceasefire with Iran, the US has sought to maintain its economic pressure campaign on the government in Tehran.

In an announcement sent to reporters this afternoon in Washington, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, said it was sanctioning 14 people, entities and aircraft based in Iran, Turkey and the UAE "for their role procuring of transporting weapons or weapons components" on behalf of Iran's government.

In practice, this means that all property and interests in property of those designated that are in the US, or in the possession of Americans, are blocked, and must be reported - along with any entities owned, directly or indirectly, 50% or more by each of the entities.

US citizens, as well as non-citizens in the US or even passing through, are also banned from any transactions with those entities.

According to the US government, these entities have been working to help Iran reconstitute its capacity to build drones and ballistic missiles, which were hard hit by the US and Israeli strikes during Operation Epic Fury.

The announcement forms part of a wider campaign, dubbed Operation Economic Fury, that seeks to cut off Iran's access to global financial markets and, the administration hopes, help pressure Iran to come to a deal the US sees as workable.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres welcomes President Trump's announcement to extend the ceasefire, a spokesperson for his office says.

"This is an important step toward de-escalation and creating critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States," spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says.

The secretary general's office encourages all parties to build on the momentum by not violating the ceasefire and participating constructively in negotiations.

Guterres supports Pakistan's role in facilitating the talks and hopes that the country's efforts will help create the conditions for a "comprehensive and durable resolution to the conflict", Dujarric adds.

Image source, Getty Images

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is giving some more detail on the US's continued naval blockade of Iranian ports.

He says in a post on X that "in a matter of days", Iran's oil storage facility on Kharg Island will be completely full and the "fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in".

"Constraining Iran’s maritime trade directly targets the regime’s primary revenue lifelines," he says, adding that the US Treasury "will continue to apply maximum pressure through Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds".

Anyone who secretly skirts around the US chokehold on Iranian trade risks getting sanctioned, he adds.

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

It's a little after 01:35 in Tehran but Iranian officials have been posting on social media since President Trump's announcement, perhaps giving us some indication of the mood in Iran.

Mahmoud Nabavian, an Iranian member of parliament who was part of the delegation in the first round of talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad, has said on X that “from now on”, negotiating with the US is “purely detrimental and irrational”.

Separately, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, Iran’s top military command, has warned that Iran’s forces, in case of an attack against Iran, will “strike pre-determined targets delivering another, even harsher lesson” to the US and Israel.

In both Nabavian’s post and Khatam al-Anbiya’s statement, there was no mention of an extension to the ceasefire, though both were reported by Iranian outlets after Donald Trump’s announcement.

We have yet to see any reaction from Iran’s Foreign Ministry or its officials, or from Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf himself.

The White House has now confirmed Vice President JD Vance's trip to Pakistan for peace negotiations has been cancelled.

Vance was expected to travel to Islamabad for the second time this month, arriving on Wednesday in hopes of finalising a deal with Iranian officials.

"Any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House," an administration official says, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.

The cancellation comes after President Trump announced he had agreed to a request to extend the US-Iran ceasefire indefinitely.

Image source, Getty Images

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked Trump after the US president announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran shortly before it expired.

"I sincerely thank President Trump for graciously accepting our request to extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course," he says in an online statement.

"With the trust and confidence reposed in, Pakistan shall continue its earnest efforts for negotiated settlement of conflict," the statement adds. "I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict."

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Image source, Telegram/Mehr News

We're still waiting for official reaction from Iran, where tonight there were pro-government rallies featuring displays of ballistic missiles.

Iran’s Ghadr ballistic missile was on full display tonight during a nightly pro-government rally in a main square in Tehran, where those gathered chanted “Death to America” and hailed IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) Aerospace Force commander Majid Mousavi, calling on him to “target Tel Aviv”.

In a separate instance in the capital, the Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile was displayed in another major square in Tehran.

A photo attached to the missile stated that the target is Qatar’s RasGas, a liquefied natural gas company.

These displays were not limited to Tehran tonight. In the southern city of Shiraz, northwestern city of Tabriz and central city of Zanjan, missiles were also put on display.

These pro-government rallies have been held every day in main squares across Iran since the start of the war on 28 February, with Iranian officials and state TV urging people to participate.

Usually held at night, these rallies not only project an image of public support for the government with people waving the Islamic Republic’s flag, but also make it more difficult for opponents to gather in main squares after dark.

Despite the fact that Trump made a major announcement just before the NCAA event, he did not end up mentioning the war in Iran during his speech to college athletes.

At a number of other White House events, he has commented on the situation in Iran even when the event is unrelated. At the White House Easter Egg Roll, he discussed the war while standing beside a nodding Easter Bunny.

President Trump is speaking at a White House event honouring NCAA Collegiate National Champions Day.

We're monitoring for any mention of the war in Iran.

Trump's announcement is quite a turnaround from just hours earlierpublished at 22:06 BST 21 April

22:06 BST 21 April

Sarah Smith
North America editor

Image source, Getty Images

The announcement from Donald Trump that he has agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran – indefinitely – is quite a turnaround from his position just a few hours earlier.

Speaking to CNBC this morning, Trump said “I expect to be bombing” and said the military was “raring to go.” He also repeated his threat to destroy every bridge and power plant inside Iran.

Now, with just hours to go before the existing ceasefire would expire he has agreed to and open ended end pause in hostilities. Saying he has done so at the request of the Pakistani government.

Donald Trump has tried to intimidate the Iranian regime with bellicose threats throughout this conflict. Now it looks like he really does not want to start attacking Iran again.

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent

What you're getting here in a massive breathing space, a massive stepping back from the brink of more bombing and destruction inside Iran.

It's interesting that the president is talking about fractured leadership in Iran. It seems the US delegation is trying to work out who to actually deal with, and what kind of proposal they can offer.

The issues are clear - the reopening of Strait of Hormuz, Iran's ability to enrich uranium and retain its capacity. The suspicion here is that although they say they don't want a bomb, what they want is the option for a bomb one day.

There are still hugely substantive issues to sort out between the two sides. Standing on the precipice of another set of bombing as the ceasefire was about to expire, the US administration has taken a deep breath, a step back, and will see what happens next.

It has been an unsettled day for oil prices during all the twists and turns over talks between the US and Iran.

Earlier, Brent crude surged by more than 5% to over $100 a barrel.

Following Trump's announcement about extending the ceasefire, it is now back to $98.97.

However, that is still ahead of where prices opened earlier and 35% higher than the end of February before the war began.

Trump buys himself more timepublished at 21:38 BST 21 April

21:38 BST 21 April

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

President Donald Trump has decided to buy himself more time with Iran.

Trump's announcement Tuesday that he was extending the ceasefire with Iran postponed the deadline he set for Tehran to reach a deal or else face a resumption of the war on Wednesday.

In extending the truce Trump opted not to make good - for now - on his threats to restart a punishing air campaign against Tehran. But it also ensured that he'll be forced to make that choice again sometime in the coming days or weeks.

When that might be is unclear. Trump did not specify on Tuesday exactly how long the new ceasefire extension will last - only that he was giving Iran more time to offer a "unified proposal" to end the war.

It marked the second time in two weeks that Trump backed off from threats to escalate the war - a sign he seems increasingly interested in winding down the conflict.

With ceasefire extension, Trump seeks more flexibilitypublished at 21:28 BST 21 April

21:28 BST 21 April

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Donald Trump's Truth Social post announcing that the ceasefire has been extended is revelatory, and is the clearest glimpse we have had today at the administration's current thinking on the possibility of talks.

For one, Trump's post lays out that, in his view, it is unclear what exactly the Iranian proposal is, and who in the Tehran government is actually in charge.

This is a continuation of something Trump says often - that Iran's leadership has been decimated, and that internal communications and deliberations are chaotic.

His announcement also stops short of a full-scale return to hostilities, which would be complicated for the president politically in the US and economically with regards to oil prices.

Notably, he has not offered a timeline, and has eliminated any ticking clock to come up with a solution - a strategy that theoretically gives him much more flexibility.

The blockade on Iranian ports, however, remains. Iran views this as an act of war, and that is likely to remain an impediment to any negotiations going forward. It could choose to escalate, or to continue a "cold" war, of sorts, in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump says the US will extend the ceasefire with Iran, at the request of Pakistan, and continue the blockade of Iranian ports.

Here is his statement on social media:

Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal. I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.

Hezbollah says it has fired rockets at northern Israel in response to ceasefire violations from the Israeli military.

In a post on Telegram earlier this evening, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hezbollah had fired several rockets at its forces operating in southern Lebanon.

Israel's military added that it attacked the launcher from which the rockets were fired.

Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, says Hezbollah is violating the ceasefire agreement, adding, "We will defend ourselves against those who seek to maim, kill and prevent peace".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

The situation with regards to talks in Islamabad clearly remains very fluid, and very chaotic.

About 45 minutes ago, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, were spotted by TV cameras outside entering the White House.

This is notable. We already know that Vice President JD Vance is holding meetings upstairs. He, along with Witkoff and Kushner, were confirmed earlier this week by the White House as all being on the team headed to Islamabad for any potential talks.

The defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, was also seen entering the building, as was Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Both the White House and the vice president's office have been notably silent today, with little in the way of confirmation or any official indication of when that trip will happen, and even if.

Citing anonymous sources, several US media outlets have reported that the trip is, for now, on hold, although it's unclear if that's a result of a lack of Iranian commitment to attend, or a dispute over terms.

At 16:00 ET (21:00 GMT), President Trump is expected to speak at an unrelated event in the state dining room of the White House. He may, as he has in the past, deliver a brief update on the Iran situation at the start.