Donald Trump says he has agreed to suspend US attacks on Iran for two weeks as part of a “double-sided ceasefire” that is subject to the Islamic Republic agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement, on Truth Social, followed his earlier warning that the US would target civilian infrastructure and that a “whole civilisation will die” unless the warring countries reached a deal.
The ceasefire was agreed after Pakistan, a key player in negotiations between the two nations, urged the US president to delay his deadline by a fortnight.
Less than 90 minutes before the deadline, Mr Trump announced he was accepting Pakistan’s proposal.
“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,” Mr Trump wrote.
The reasons for the ceasefire, he said, were that the US had already achieved its military objectives in Iran, and a 10-point proposal received by Iran was a “workable basis on which to negotiate”.
A White House official said Israel had also agreed to the ceasefire.
Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said on X: “If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations.”
He said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be possible for two weeks “via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations”.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council claimed victory. It said the country would enter talks with the US “to consolidate Iran’s victory on the battlefield into political negotiations”.
“This does not mean the war has ended,” it said in a statement. “Iran will only accept the end of the war once the details of its 10-article plan are finalized in negotiations.”
The US and Israel had been promising a devastating bombardment of Iran’s power plants, bridges and other civilian infrastructure — a move widely seen as a violation of international law.
Mr Trump’s earlier post, published 12 hours before the deadline, said:
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, had used X to “earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks”.
“… Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture. We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war.”
Strikes on Iran had been intensifying in the lead-up to Mr Trump’s deadline for a deal, which he had said must include the reopening of the strait.
Railway and road bridges, an airport and a petrochemical plant were reportedly among the targets hit. Israel said it had struck eight bridges. US forces also carried out strikes on Kharg Island, the hub for 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports.
Iran had previously rejected a 45-day ceasefire deal proposed in talks led by Pakistani mediators. On Monday, Mr Trump said a counter-proposal was “not good enough”.
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