White House Says Reports of a 3- to 5-Day Ceasefire Extension Are False, Says There Is No Deadline

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\r\n[The Financial News] As U.S. President Donald Trump made clear that he would not set a deadline for ceasefire talks with Iran, the White House strongly denied reports of a "3- to 5-day deadline" and moved to keep control of the negotiations. Leavitt, in particular, raised the tone of her remarks as she delivered a series of key messages about conditions inside Iran and the administration's negotiating stance.
On the 22nd local time, the White House said Trump had not set any specific deadline for receiving a "unified proposal" from Iran.
\r\nAt a briefing, Leavitt stressed, "Contrary to some reports, the president has not set a fixed deadline," adding, "The claim that there is a 3- to 5-day deadline is not true."
Axios had earlier reported, citing an unnamed official, that Trump could give Iran additional time for talks, but the White House flatly rejected that account. Leavitt questioned the report's credibility itself, saying, "It is merely a report based on anonymous sources."
Leavitt directly pointed to internal power struggles in Iran as a reason for the delay in talks. She said, "There is clearly a divide inside Iran," and described the situation as "a battle between pragmatists and hard-liners."
She also reaffirmed that the military and economic pressure campaign remains in place. Leavitt said, "While we wait for Iran's response, the ceasefire on military strikes remains in effect," but added that "Operation Epic Fury is continuing, and the maritime blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports is also ongoing." She went on to say, "The president is satisfied with the current situation."
In a Fox News interview, Trump delivered the same message, saying, "There is no time pressure." He added, "It is not true that we are trying to wrap this up quickly because of the midterm elections."
Leavitt also took aim at some mainstream media outlets, saying they were "acting as a mouthpiece for the Iranian regime." She noted, "What Iran says publicly is very different from what it concedes in private negotiations. We should be careful not to take their statements at face value."
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km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter