Trump Sets Deadline for Iran to Resolve Internal Divisions and Restart Peace Talks

President Donald Trump has set a tight deadline for Iran’s warring factions to resolve their internal divisions and present a unified counter-offer—or face the collapse of the ceasefire he extended earlier this week. According to three U.S. officials briefed on the matter, Trump is prepared to extend the ceasefire for only three to five more days to allow Iran to "get their shit together."

"It is not going to be open-ended," one official told Axios.

Why This Deadline Matters

U.S. negotiators still believe a deal to end the war and address the remnants of Iran’s nuclear program remains achievable. However, they are increasingly concerned that no single figure in Tehran holds the authority to finalize an agreement.

The divisions in Iran’s leadership are stark. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has remained largely unresponsive, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals now wield significant control over the country. Meanwhile, Iran’s civilian negotiators are openly at odds with the military over strategy.

"We saw that there is an absolute fracture inside Iran between the negotiators and the military — with neither side having access to the supreme leader, who is not responsive."

A U.S. official described the situation as a critical impasse.

How the Fracture in Iran Developed

The rift between Iran’s military and civilian leadership became evident after the first round of talks in Islamabad. It was then that IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and his deputies rejected much of what Iran’s own negotiators had proposed.

By last Friday, the divide turned public. When Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the IRGC refused to implement the decision and publicly criticized him.

In the days that followed, Iran failed to provide a substantive response to the latest U.S. proposal and declined to commit to a second round of talks in Pakistan.

The Role of Israel’s Assassination of Ali Larijani

The fracture in Iran’s leadership is partly attributed to Israel’s March assassination of Ali Larijani, the former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Larijani had the political weight and authority to unify Iran’s decision-making process.

His successor, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr—tasked with coordinating between the IRGC, civilian leadership, and the supreme leader—has proven ineffective, according to a U.S. official.

White House Frustration Over Iran’s Indecision

The past 48 hours have been a source of frustration for the White House, particularly for Vice President JD Vance, who had prepared to travel to Islamabad to lead a second round of peace talks.

Instead, Vance found himself waiting for the IRGC generals now in control of Iran to approve the travel of Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Araghchi to Pakistan for negotiations.

On Monday evening, Iranian mediators appeared to signal approval for the talks. However, by Tuesday morning, that signal was withdrawn and replaced with a new demand: the U.S. must lift its naval blockade.

For hours, Air Force Two sat on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, prepared for departure—until it became clear the trip would not proceed.

Meanwhile, White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had been scheduled to fly from Miami to Islamabad, boarded a government plane back to Washington instead.

Trump Convenes National Security Team

On Tuesday afternoon, Trump met with his national security team, including Vance, Witkoff, Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, and other top officials. The meeting was held to assess the rapidly deteriorating situation and determine the next steps in U.S. policy toward Iran.