Was the 60-Day Ceasefire Extended?
WANA (Aug 17) – Al Arabiya reported in a brief news alert that Tehran and Washington had agreed to extend the 60-day ceasefire in the war. However, the claim appears inconsistent with statements by Iranian officials and the text of the Islamabad Memorandum.
Al Arabiya reported earlier today that “reports have emerged of an agreement to extend the 60-day ceasefire between Iran and the United States.” The report appears misleading, however, because Iran and the United States never agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in the first place that would now require an extension.
A review of the Islamabad Memorandum shows that, from the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, there was no provision for a “60-day ceasefire” in the text that could now be extended. The fragile ceasefire in the war involving U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran began on April 8, rather than June 18, when the Islamabad Memorandum was signed.
That ceasefire was immediately violated by the United States’ continued maritime blockade, as the blockade of a country’s ports and coasts constitutes a military act under the definition set out in UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, adopted on December 14, 1974.
Iranian Source: No Talks Underway on Extending Iran-U.S. Ceasefire
WANA (Aug 12) – A senior Iranian source told Reuters that reports of an agreement between Iran and the United States to extend the 60-day deadline set out in the Islamabad Memorandum were incorrect, saying that no talks on extending the ceasefire are currently underway. The remarks came after Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, citing Pakistani […]
Article 1 of the Islamabad Memorandum, dated June 18, 2026, makes no reference to a ceasefire or to any deadline for one. Instead, it calls for the “immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts.”
The reference to 60 days appears in Article 3 of the memorandum, which concerns negotiations between Iran and the United States and has no connection to a ceasefire or the termination of the war. The article states that “the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America commit to conducting negotiations and reaching a final agreement within a maximum period of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.”
On August 14, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Shahrara News that “there was no 60-day ceasefire. What was referred to as 60 days was a 60-day window for negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also provided further clarification on the issue on Monday morning, saying: “There is no provision in the text of the memorandum referring to a 60-day deadline. It has been demonstrated time and again that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not a party that formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or deadlines. We make our decisions based on our national interests and our assessment of what serves and guarantees our national interests and security.”
People walk past an anti-U.S. billboard on a street in Tehran, Iran, August 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Baghaei added that the memorandum had provided for a 60-day period during which the two sides would negotiate two issues — “the lifting of sanctions” and “the nuclear issue” — with the possibility of extending the period if no agreement was reached.
He said the negotiations never began because the United States, only a few weeks after the memorandum was signed on June 18, committed what Tehran considers extensive and serious violations of the document. As a result, he said, the 60-day framework itself is no longer relevant.
Therefore, based on the text of the Islamabad Memorandum and statements by Iranian officials, the claim that Iran and the United States have agreed to “extend a 60-day ceasefire” does not accurately reflect the terms of the agreement. The 60-day period stipulated in the memorandum concerned negotiations toward a final agreement, not the duration of a ceasefire.
