Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - President Donald Trump has extended the US-Iran ceasefire indefinitely following personal appeals from Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, creating a critical diplomatic window amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement averts immediate military confrontation but maintains the US naval blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran submits a unified proposal for comprehensive peace talks addressing nuclear issues and regional security.

The extension follows days of brinkmanship, including IRGC attacks on commercial shipping and US seizures of Iranian vessels attempting to breach the Gulf of Oman blockade. Pakistan's mediation building on Vice President JD Vance's recent Islamabad mission positioned Sharif and Munir as pivotal brokers, with Trump praising their decisive leadership for facilitating back channel progress. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the blockade an act of war, while internal factionalism reportedly delayed Tehran's response, prompting the truce renewal. Oil markets rallied as supply disruption fears eased, though analysts warn the pause is fragile without Iranian concessions on nuclear curbs, proxy activities, and unrestricted Hormuz access.

Trump's indefinite ceasefire extension represents high stakes diplomacy balancing Pakistan's mediation with unrelenting US pressure via the naval stranglehold. Tehran now faces intense pressure to unify its position before the window closes, with success potentially stabilising global energy flows but failure risking rapid re escalation. The Strait of Hormuz remains the world's most dangerous flashpoint, where diplomatic breakthroughs or military confrontation will shape regional stability for years to come.