US and Iran Weigh Extending Their Ceasefire by Two Weeks

Article content(Bloomberg) — The US and Iran are considering extending their ceasefire that ends on Tuesday by another two weeks to allow more time to negotiate a peace agreement, according to a person familiar with the matter.Sign In or Create an AccountEmail AddressContinueor View more offersArticle contentMediators between the warring sides are trying to set up technical talks to resolve the most contentious issues, said the person, who asked not to be named discussing sensitive matters. Those include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear enrichment, they said.Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article contentArticle contentIf successful, those talks could pave the way toward the next round of negotiations between senior officials from the countries, said the person.Article contentTop StoriesGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.Sign UpBy signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article contentThere’s still no guarantee the ceasefire will be extended and the US has not yet agreed to that, an American official familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named as the discussions are private.Article contentIran’s foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.Article contentNeither Iran nor the US desires a return to fighting, said another person familiar with the discussions.Article contentUS President Donald Trump played down the prospect of renewed fighting on Tuesday, telling Fox Business that the near seven-week war is “close to over.” Article contentThe conflict, which the US and Israel began on Feb. 28 with a bombardment of Iran, has seen the Islamic Republic suffer huge damage to its military and its infrastructure. Iran’s counterstrikes wreaked havoc across the Middle East and — with Tehran all but closing the vital Strait of Hormuz — sent energy prices soaring, hurting Trump politically.Article contentStill, the main issues between the US and Iran will be far from easy to resolve. Iran has long insisted that it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, while Trump has said it should be barred to prevent it ever building a nuclear weapon. The US and Israel have also said Iran’s stockpile of highly-enriched uranium must be handed over or destroyed.Article contentArticle contentIranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters on Wednesday that the country’s peaceful use of nuclear energy “cannot be revoked,” though the level and type of uranium enrichment is “negotiable.” Article contentIt’s unclear whether Israel favors an extension of the truce with Iran, though it has previously said it will follow Washington’s lead. The Israeli security cabinet is meeting late Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting a parallel war against Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israel’s Kan broadcasting network reported.Article contentThe Hormuz strait, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally flow, remains effectively shut. The US began a blockade of ships leaving or entering Iranian ports on Monday, which Iran has criticized and signaled may amount to a breach of the ceasefire, which was agreed to on April 7. That truce did not include the conflict in Lebanon.Article contentTrump’s vice president, JD Vance, and Iran’s speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, met in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad on Saturday evening as part of efforts to end the conflict. Those ended without a deal.Article content—With assistance from Skylar Woodhouse, Golnar Motevalli and Alisa Odenheimer.Article contentTrending Trump isolation deepens on world stage as allies rebuff, condemn PMN Business The Great Correction: not even Wayne Gretzky's hometown could escape the crash of the 'exurbs' Real Estate Posthaste: What Mark Carney's gas tax cut could mean for the Bank of Canada News Forcing people to pay a moral tax if they leave the country won't inspire them to stay Personal Finance What is Anthropic's Mythos AI model and why does it have the financial world in a panic? Innovation Share this article in your social networkCommentsYou must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.Create an AccountSign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trump isolation deepens on world stage as allies rebuff, condemn PMN Business The Great Correction: not even Wayne Gretzky's hometown could escape the crash of the 'exurbs' Real Estate Posthaste: What Mark Carney's gas tax cut could mean for the Bank of Canada News Forcing people to pay a moral tax if they leave the country won't inspire them to stay Personal Finance What is Anthropic's Mythos AI model and why does it have the financial world in a panic? Innovation