Trump extends Iran ceasefire as talks to end war stall

[0:00] AMNA NAWAZ, Welcome to the NewsHour. President Trump said late today he would [0:03] extend the cease-fire with Iran, as negotiations over a next round of talks [0:08] seems to be at an impasse. Mr. Trump said Pakistani mediators asked him to extend the truce. [0:14] Vice President Vance was supposed to lead a delegation back to Islamabad to meet the Iranians [0:19] and discuss ending the war that the U.S. and Israel launched nearly two months ago. [0:24] Our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, begins our coverage. [0:27] AMNA NAWAZ, In Pakistan's capital, the stage was set for a second round of peace talks. [0:34] Clear skies, but a cloud of uncertainty loomed. Today, Vice President J.D. Vance unexpectedly [0:40] put his trip on hold and remained in Washington through the afternoon. Pakistani officials said [0:46] they had expected top negotiators from Iran, too, though they never confirmed. [0:51] J.D. Vance, So far, no delegation from Iran has gone to Islamabad. [0:56] J.D. Vance, On Iranian state TV today, news anchors reiterated messaging that Iran [1:01] won't show up to the table. It's been just over a week since the previous round of talks [1:06] in Islamabad ended without a deal. These latest talks appear to have unraveled ahead of a fast [1:12] approaching deadline for the cease-fire to expire. But this afternoon, President Trump announced the [1:17] U.S. is giving Iran more time to come up with a, quote, unified proposal. And until then, [1:23] will, quote, extend the cease-fire until such time as their proposal is submitted. The last-minute [1:30] extension came at Pakistan's request. On Monday, the man leading Tehran's delegation, Mohamed [1:36] Bagher Galibaf, accused Trump of turning the negotiating table into a, quote, table of surrender, [1:41] and that Iran has, quote, new cards on the battlefield it's prepared to reveal. [1:46] J.D. Vance, But on the ground in Iran's capital, people remain divided on whether Iran should [1:50] negotiate an end to the war. [1:52] J.D. Vance, The talks will bear fruit. [1:55] There may be some back and forth for a few days, but they will ultimately yield results. [1:59] J.D. Vance, While others are more skeptical. [2:01] J.D. Vance, Why should we negotiate when the other side is lying? [2:05] Why? When Trump says that whatever he says must be done, why should we accept it? [2:10] J.D. Vance, And on the Indian Ocean today, the U.S. military intercepted and boarded what the [2:15] Pentagon says is another sanctioned oil tanker. Now nearly 10 days into the U.S. naval blockade [2:21] of Iranian ports, it's the 28th such ship to be stopped by the blockade and the first outside the [2:27] Middle East. In turn, Iran's foreign minister this afternoon called the U.S. blockade, quote, [2:33] an act of war and a violation of the cease-fire. That came after President Trump said Iran has, [2:39] quote, violated the cease-fire numerous times. Meantime, in Israel, the country came to a [2:46] standstill for two minutes, marking its Memorial Day. [2:49] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Israel's military campaign against Iran and its proxy groups. [2:55] BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, [2:57] Together with our great friend, the United States, we crushed in advance the machine of destruction [3:03] of the Iranian regime. We pushed away from us an immediate existential threat. [3:08] But he also denounced an incident in southern Lebanon where an Israeli soldier [3:13] photographed another smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer. [3:18] The image went viral over the weekend and today the IDF said both soldiers had been [3:23] removed from combat duty and are being held in detention for 30 days. [3:28] All that as the IDF today claimed that Hezbollah had violated their cease-fire with Israel [3:33] after firing upon soldiers in southern Lebanon and launching a drone toward Israel. [3:39] Back in Islamabad, mediators awaited U.S. and Iranian delegations that may never arrive, [3:45] one more roadblock on the path to peace. [3:48] For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Liz Landers. [3:51] AMNA NAWAZ, And Liz joins us now with the latest. [3:54] So, Liz, the mediators in this situation, the Pakistanis and the Iranians are reacting to the [3:59] president's declaration of a cease-fire. What are they saying this evening? [4:02] AMNA NAWAZ, Within just the last few minutes, we heard from the prime minister of Pakistan. [4:05] He posted on X saying thank you to President Trump. And he also said that he sincerely [4:11] hopes that both sides will continue to observe this cease-fire. He added, too, [4:15] that Pakistan will continue earnest efforts towards these negotiations, so leaving that [4:20] open for the future. Iran, though, far less optimistic. An adviser to Iran's [4:25] parliamentary speaker says that Trump's cease-fire extension doesn't mean anything, [4:29] that the losing side cannot dictate terms, and that the cease-fire extension is certainly [4:34] a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike. Amna. [4:38] AMNA NAWAZ, So, Liz, what does your reporting [4:39] tell you that the sticking point to these talks is right now? [4:42] AMNA NAWAZ, Well, we spoke with a source close to the administration [4:44] just a few moments ago who said that the real sticking point is this blockade right now [4:48] in the Strait of Hormuz. And in particular, the United States attacking and firing on [4:54] that Iranian ship just a few days ago. That ship was waiting in the Gulf of Oman to go into the [5:00] strait. The U.S. military boarded that ship. Allegedly, that boat had dual-use goods on board, [5:07] so potentially chemicals to make Iranian missile production, which is why the U.S. Navy intervened [5:14] there. Iran wants the issue of this blockade to be fixed before they meet with the Americans again. [5:20] But the source was telling us that the Trump administration has no desire to change anything [5:25] about the blockade right now. President Trump made that pretty clear in his true social post [5:30] that we saw earlier today. A reality check here, though, Amna. President Trump said just last [5:36] Friday that Iran had agreed to virtually all of his demands to end their nuclear program. He thought [5:41] that they were going to get a pretty quick deal was how he described it going into these weekend [5:46] negotiations. Iran immediately said that they didn't. One diplomat that I spoke to this afternoon [5:52] said that basically right now there is no trust between the Iranians and the Americans. So that [5:56] also is a sticking point here. A White House correspondent, Liz Landers, [6:00] beginning our coverage tonight. Liz, thank you. Of course. [6:02] Support journalism you trust. Support PBS News. Donate now or even better start a monthly contribution today.