Trump extends Iran ceasefire deadline to allow for unified proposal
President Donald Trump extends the Iran ceasefire deadline, citing a fractured Iranian government and a need for a unified proposal. Independent Women's Forum senior fellow Ellie Cohanim weighs in during 'Fox & Friends First.'
President Donald Trump provided an extension of a few days for the fragile ceasefire with Iran after a planned round of peace talks in Pakistan were abruptly canceled this week.
A White House official confirmed to Fox News Wednesday that Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran for only three to five days.
The truce, according to the White House, will hold only until Tehran delivers a "unified proposal" to revive negotiations, underscoring how shaky the diplomatic track has become.
WHY THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MATTERS AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH ULTIMATUM TO IRAN
A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, vital for global energy supplies. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)
Despite the pause in direct military strikes, pressure on Iran has not eased. The U.S. is maintaining its naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, a central source of leverage in the conflict and a significant strain on Tehran’s economy.
And Iran appears to be escalating in other ways as well.
An Iranian news agency claims the Revolutionary Guard seized two vessels for alleged maritime violations and took them to Iranian shores, the first such seizures since the war began.
The rising tensions are putting a renewed focus on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow but vital waterway and shipping passage at the center of the standoff and a crucial conduit for global energy supplies.
Bordered by Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, the strait carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil every day, along with about one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas (LNG). It also serves as a major route for refined fuels, including jet fuel.
Trump’s warning is part of a broader pattern of deadlines he has imposed on Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz. What follows is a timeline of those demands:
March 21
President Donald Trump called on the nations of the world to summon some "delayed courage" and "just take" the Strait of Hormuz. (Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters; Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
In a Truth Social post, Trump declared that if Iran did not "FULLY OPEN" the strait within 48 hours, the United States would "obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"
Ali Mousavi, Iran’s permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization, responded by saying the Strait of Hormuz was "open to everyone" except Tehran's enemies. Meanwhile, other Iranian officials warned that attacks on energy infrastructure would amount to an attack on the Iranian people and would be met with retaliation.
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March 23
Two days later, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the U.S. had had "productive" conversations with Iran and that he had ordered the Pentagon to delay any strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
Iranian officials publicly denied that any talks were taking place.
March 26
The Callisto tanker sits anchored as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran in Muscat, Oman, March 10, 2026. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
Trump again extended his deadline — this time by 10 days to April 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern — saying in a social media post he was "pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction" at the Iranian government’s request.
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March 30
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that "great progress" had been made in negotiations to end the conflict. At the same time, he warned that if a deal was not reached and the Strait of Hormuz was not "immediately" opened, the United States would destroy Iran’s power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island — the country’s main oil export hub — and "possibly all" desalination plants.
April 1
Trump said Iran requested a ceasefire, a claim Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson called "false and baseless," according to the state news agency IRIB.
In yet another social media post, Trump said the United States would consider a ceasefire only once the strait was "open, free and clear.
"Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!" he added.
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April 4
The president warned in a Truth Social post that "time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them."
The post followed several conflicting statements in previous days in which he alternately criticized allies for not acting to reopen the strait and suggested it would reopen on its own.
April 5
Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. (Reuters/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo)
Trump sent shock waves when he shot off a profanity-laced post on Truth Social on Sunday in early April, when he warned: "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran."
"There will be nothing like it!!!" he insisted. "Open the F-----’ Strait, you crazy b-------, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah."
He followed-up in another post: "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!"
April 7
President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Two days after that bombshell threat, Trump issued a fresh ultimatum to Iran, demanding it allow all vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on critical infrastructure. The warning came after weeks of escalating threats and missed deadlines.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
"We will find out tonight — one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world," he added, referencing his 8 p.m. ET deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire and reopen the strait.
A ceasefire was called a few hours before the 8 p.m. deadline.
April 12
President Donald Trump has issued several demands to Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in February. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Nearly a week later, Trump announced a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Truth Social.
"Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote. "At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen… THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION."
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Trump said the U.S. would deny safe passage to vessels that paid the toll and begin clearing mines.
"I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran," he wrote. "No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage… We will also begin destroying the mines… Any Iranian who fires at us… will be BLOWN TO HELL!"
In a second post, Trump reiterated the demand: "They better begin… getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!"
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