The United States has informed Israel that President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire deadline with Iran until Sunday, Israeli officials said, amid continued uncertainty over whether negotiations will yield results.
Trump has not publicly announced a new deadline. In recent weeks, he has issued multiple timelines for the ceasefire and repeatedly postponed them.
Earlier reports in the United States offered conflicting accounts of the extension, initially describing it as open-ended, then suggesting it would last “three to five days,” and later indicating no set timetable at all.
Israeli officials expressed skepticism that an agreement would be reached by the new deadline, as both sides continue to hold firm positions in negotiations, at least publicly.
Meanwhile, the United States is maintaining its naval blockade on Iran, while Tehran has responded by detaining vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and opening fire on ships in the area.
At the same time, the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier continues to advance toward the Persian Gulf and is expected to arrive in the region in the coming days, according to Israeli officials.
In a separate development, Trump said Wednesday that Iran had halted the planned execution of eight women protesters.
“Very good news! I have just been informed that the eight women protestors who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed,” he wrote on his social media platform. “Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison.”
He added that he appreciated Iran’s leadership for respecting his request.
A day earlier, Trump had publicly urged Iranian leaders to spare the women, writing: “Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations.”