The United States and Iran reached an 11th-hour cease-fire agreement on Tuesday evening, just hours before President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, following a Pakistan-brokered push.
President Donald Trump announced a temporary halt to military action against Iran, declaring a two-week cease-fire.
In a statement posted on Truth Social at 6:32 p.m. Tuesday, Trump said, “Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”
He added, “This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” emphasizing that both sides would pause hostilities as negotiations continue.
According to Trump, the decision followed progress in broader diplomatic talks, stating, “The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”
He further revealed that “We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate,” adding that “Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran.”
Trump said the two-week pause is intended to finalize a broader agreement, noting that “a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.”
The announcement came shortly after intense diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan, which urged both sides to step back from escalating conflict, according to a report by The New York Times.
The outlet reported that the cease-fire agreement was reached just hours before a deadline set by Trump, who had warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
Pakistan reportedly proposed a two-week cease-fire framework, during which Iran would allow oil and cargo vessels to pass safely through the strategically critical waterway.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in a statement that Iran would halt its “defensive operation” and allow safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks under coordination with its armed forces, according to The New York Times.
The temporary agreement is expected to provide both nations with time to negotiate a longer-term resolution to the conflict, which escalated earlier this year.
In late February, U.S. and Israeli strikes hit multiple targets across Iran, including Tehran, killing the country’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with senior officials and civilians.
In retaliation, Iran launched multiple missile attacks against Israel and U.S. forces stationed in the region, including one strike that hit the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, leaving nine people dead.
The Islamic Republic also moved to restrict access to the Strait of Hormuz for oil tankers, a development that contributed to a global oil shortage and drove up fuel prices worldwide.
Casualty figures cited by the U.S.-based rights organization HRANA and reported by The Independent indicate that more than 3,500 Iranians and 13 Americans have been killed since the conflict began.
