By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for Iran to grant passage through the Strait of Hormuz by another 10 days, lasting till April 6, as he continues to claim that peace talks with Tehran to end ongoing war are going very well.
This comes after Trump’s 48-hour deadline last week failed. The US leader told Iran to open the oil channel or risk attack on its energy facilities. Tehran announced its closure in response February 28 war that has claimed lives of top Iranian leaders.
Trump extended the deadline by another five days to Friday, March 27, after it seemed Tehran was adamant to respond to his wishes, before announcing a new deadline.
This is even as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar confirmed that Islamabad was relaying messages between US and Iranian officials as part of mediation efforts to end the war, with Turkiye and Egypt also supporting the peace talks.
Announcing the extension in a social media post, Trump said: “As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of energy plant destruction by 10 days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time.
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well.”
Trump later told Fox News: “I gave them a 10-day period, they asked for seven.”
He also continued to declare victory in the war, adding: “In a certain sense, we have already won.”
Earlier, the US President had urged Iranian leaders to negotiate an end to the nearly month-long war or face further assassinations of senior officials amid intensified action by the US and Israel.
That threat came as Israel said it had “blown up and eliminated” the Revolutionary Guards’ naval commander, Alireza Tangsiri, and several senior officers in a strike on the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
