White House says U.S.-Iran ceasefire extension "not true at this moment"
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday an extension of the current U.S. ceasefire with Iran is "not true at this moment," Xinhua reports.
Leavitt said at a White House press briefing that the Trump administration is optimistic the continued negotiations could yield a deal to end the weeks-long war.
"We feel good about the prospects of a deal," she said.
Leavitt also did not confirm when talks with Iran would resume, but said if there were talks, they would continue to be held in Pakistan following stalled talks in Islamabad over the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that fresh U.S.-Iran talks "could be happening over next two days" in Pakistan. Also, he said earlier on Wednesday that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is "very close to being over," without providing a clear timeline.
The two-week ceasefire is set to expire next week.
As written before, the United States on Monday began a naval blockade of all maritime traffic attempting to enter or exit ports in Iran, raising the possibility that the two countries could be drawn into a new confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz and a temporary ceasefire could fall apart.
