Iran didn’t say no. It said nothing. And that silence may have just restarted a war.
The two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran expired today with no Iranian delegation in Islamabad, no confirmed peace talks, and no clear path forward. Pakistan spent its final hours doing everything short of flying to Tehran itself. FM Ishaq Dar was on the phone with his Iranian counterpart. Armed guards locked down Islamabad’s Red Zone. Pakistan’s Air Force had F-16s and JF-17s on standby, engines ready, waiting to escort an Iranian aircraft that never took off.
The table was set. Tehran didn’t show up.
Trump extended the ceasefire at the last minute via Truth Social, calling Iran “seriously fractured” — then threatened to resume bombing in the same post. Iran fired back that it won’t negotiate “under the shadow of threat” and has prepared “new cards on the battlefield.” Two sides. Zero movement.
The central demand hasn’t shifted an inch. Washington wants Iran to end uranium enrichment and hand over its stockpile. Tehran calls it a non-starter. Until something breaks that deadlock, the Strait of Hormuz stays closed — and 20% of the world’s oil stays locked with it.
The bombs haven’t fallen yet. But the silence from Tehran is louder than any explosion.
Sources: Al Jazeera, NBC News, Dawn, CNBC
