Trump's Iran Talks: Ceasefire Extended, Diplomacy Chosen

0:00It's April 22nd. This is U.S. News Today, driven by AI tracking America in real time. President Trump dropped word Wednesday that talks with Iran could kick off again as soon as Friday thanks to Pakistan's mediation push. He's extended the ceasefire he announced Tuesday, giving Iran's divided leaders a tight deadline to pull together a solid response or watch things, fall apart. Earlier this week, U.S. officials spotted deep cracks inside Iran with civilian negotiators and the revolutionary guard at odds, and the supreme, leader staying silent. That split showed up publicly when the foreign ministers said they'd reopen the straight-of-form moves, but military bosses shot it down. The chaos got worse after the assassination of a key security coordinator, leaving his replacement struggling to unite everyone. Vice President J.D. Vance had his trip to Pakistan for round two all set, but it got scrapped when Iran wouldn't commit, keeping Air Force 2 grounded for hours. And Trump's team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Rackliffe,

1:04talked it over and chose diplomacy over strikes. He's highlighting Iran's cash crunch from the blockade, losing $500 million a day with military folks complaining about unpaid. Meanwhile, Pakistan keeps working backchannels and the ceasefire is holding strong with no escalations. Trump seems ready to wrap this up after hitting military goals, but he's keeping strikes on the table if talks floppies on that Friday window.