On April 21st, President Trump extended the ceasefire between the United States and Iran just before the deadline expired without disclosing the duration of the extension, leading to various speculations. In response to this, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt addressed the media on Wednesday at the White House.
Leavitt first briefed the media on the current situation, stating, “As everyone saw yesterday on April 21st, President Trump announced the extension of the ceasefire. While maintaining the ceasefire, he also generously gave this regime a certain degree of flexibility, as this regime has been severely damaged due to the ‘Operation Fury of Epic Proportions’ and appears to be experiencing significant internal division.”
“At present, Iran is in the midst of a struggle between pragmatists and hardliners. The President desires Iran to give a unified response. While we await this response, the U.S. military has ceased military and kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said.
Regarding the length of the extension of the ceasefire by Trump, Leavitt denied the media’s previous speculations. “We will have to wait and see; the President did not, as some reports today suggest, set a deadline for receiving Iranian proposals,” Leavitt said. “Ultimately, the schedule will be decided by Trump as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and the President of the United States.”
“I am aware that some reports citing anonymous sources claimed that the deadline might be extended by 3 to 5 days, which is not true. The President himself did not set a deadline. Ultimately, he will decide the timetable for the U.S.-Iran ceasefire,” the White House spokesperson said.
However, Leavitt also emphasized that despite the extension of the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. is still continuing the “Operation Economic Fury” against Iran, and the effective and successful maritime blockade is ongoing. Through this blockade, the U.S. military is comprehensively restraining the Iranian economy by controlling all ships entering and leaving Iranian ports.
She further explained that Iran is losing $500 million every day. The so-called “cargo island” is completely congested, and Iran cannot import or export oil. Due to the economic pressure exerted by President Trump, Iran cannot even pay its own citizens’ salaries.
“Therefore, he (Trump) is satisfied with the current situation, and we are also awaiting their (Iran’s) response,” Leavitt said.