U.S. Unilaterally Extends Ceasefire with Iran as Pakistan-Mediated Talks Stall

President Trump stated he had unilaterally extended the ceasefire with Iran, which was supposed to end on Wednesday, at the request of Munir and Sharif. S. blockade on Iranian ports means the cease-fire had already lapsed.

U.S. military assets on their way. On Tuesday, Vice-President Vance canceled his trip to Pakistan to continue brokering a peace deal with Iran. S. and Iran this week, locking down its capital for the second time in a month.

U.S. security team sent to protect a senior American delegation remains on the ground in Pakistan, according to people familiar with the matter. A Pakistani source reported that the role of the American delegation currently in Islamabad is limited to providing logistical support.

The statement from the Pakistani source emphasizes that the delegation's involvement does not extend beyond logistics. ' Iran is bleeding an estimated $400 million a day due to the blockade. S. budget is over $6 trillion.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that Iran accepted the Pakistani-mediated ceasefire following a last-minute intervention by China, which asked Iran to show flexibility and defuse tensions. S. blockade strategy to the bombing campaign and demanded its cessation as a precondition for continuing talks in Islamabad.

U.S. that a significant rift has paralyzed the Iranian regime, with the Revolutionary Guards and Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters on one side and the civil-political echelon led by Ghalibaf on the other. Mojtaba Khamenei is presiding above the fracture in the Iranian regime as the final authority to which both sides defer.

Mojtaba Khamenei is severely injured, with communication involving him being a lengthy, complex logistical nightmare due to his wounds and the constant threat of Israeli assassination. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen and his voice has not been heard since he was appointed in March.

A battle-hardened collective of commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and those aligned with them are the key decision makers on matters of security, war, and diplomacy in Iran.

Abdolreza Davari, a politician who served as senior adviser to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he was president and knows Mr. ' Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was selected by a council of senior clerics as the new supreme leader. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has been in hiding since American and Israeli forces bombed his father’s compound on February 28, where he also lived with his family.

Mojtaba Khamenei's father, wife, and son were all killed in the February 28 bombing. Access to Mojtaba Khamenei is extremely difficult and limited, as he is surrounded mostly by a team of doctors and medical staff treating his injuries from the airstrikes, according to four senior Iranian officials familiar with his health.

Senior commanders of the Guards and senior government officials do not visit Mojtaba Khamenei, fearing that Israel may trace them to him and kill him, according to four senior Iranian officials familiar with his health.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is also a heart surgeon, and the minister of health have both been involved in Mojtaba Khamenei's care, according to four senior Iranian officials familiar with his health. Mojtaba Khamenei was gravely wounded but is mentally sharp and engaged, according to four senior Iranian officials familiar with his health.

One of Mojtaba Khamenei's legs was operated on three times, and he is awaiting a prosthetic, according to four senior Iranian officials familiar with his health.

Mojtaba Khamenei had surgery on one hand and is slowly regaining function, according to four senior Iranian officials familiar with his health. Mojtaba Khamenei's face and lips have been burned severely, making it difficult for him to speak, and he will eventually need plastic surgery, according to four senior Iranian officials familiar with his health.

The combination of concern for his safety, his injuries, and the challenge of reaching him has resulted in Mojtaba Khamenei delegating decision making to the generals, at least for now.

Harvard’s graduate student union began its second day of strike on Wednesday morning, with roughly 20 picketers gathering at the Science Center. , demonstrators assembled in the Science Center plaza, set up a tent, and began circling outside the building’s main entrance. The previous contract for Harvard graduate student benefits expired in June 2025.

Some graduate workers earn as little as $26,300 annually, according to union leaders. Union leaders are calling for a $55,000 base pay floor, along with raises tied to inflation. The union is seeking stronger protections for international students, an independent process for handling harassment and discrimination complaints, and the restoration of benefits that expired with the previous contract in June 2025, according to union leaders.

D. students receive at least $425,000 in total benefits over a minimum of five years. Union members including teaching fellows, course assistants, and graduate research assistants have paused teaching and research duties as the strike continues.

Harvard has not scheduled additional bargaining sessions beyond April 28. Union leaders said Tuesday that Harvard has yet to reengage with the union since the walkout began. Simon Conway Morris was awarded the Templeton Prize this week.

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