Paris / Madrid /The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Tuesday on social networks that, after holding talks with Pakistani authorities, he has decided to postpone for two weeks the attack on critical Iranian infrastructure that he had threatened to carry out today if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz and that both parties have currently committed to a ceasefire during this period of time.
Trump assured in a message on his Truth Social social network that he has adopted the decision thanks to the mediation efforts of Islamabad and under the condition that Tehran agrees in the future to “the complete, immediate and safe opening” of Hormuz.
The Republican assured that he held talks today with the Prime Minister and the Chief of the General Staff of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir, and that both asked him to “contain the destructive force that was going to be sent to Iran tonight.”
Trump had given Iran, which has limited circulation through Hormuz after the start of the war, until today at 8:00 p.m. Washington time, to reopen the strait (through which a significant part of the hydrocarbons exported in the world passes), something that would help stabilize crude oil prices.
“The reason for proceeding in this way is that we have already met and exceeded all military objectives”
The president had threatened to attack power plants and bridges and return Iran to the “Stone Age.”
“Based on discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan – in which they requested that I contain the destructive force being sent to Iran tonight – 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 on Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump wrote.
“This will be a bilateral ceasefire! The reason for proceeding in this way is that we have already met and exceeded all military objectives, and we are at a very advanced stage towards a definitive agreement concerning a long-term peace with Iran, as well as peace in the Middle East,” the text adds.
The New York magnate once again insisted that the 10-point plan presented yesterday by Iran represents an important step towards achieving an agreement and stressed that “it constitutes a viable basis on which to negotiate.”
This latest counteroffer from Tehran, transmitted through Pakistan, consisted of 10 points, including the end of hostilities in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz – which Iran maintains partially closed after the start of the war – and the lifting of sanctions.
“We have to reach an agreement that is acceptable to me and part of that agreement will include the free movement of oil”
“An agreement has been reached between the United States and Iran regarding almost all past points of disagreement; however, a period of two weeks will allow this agreement to be finalized and consummated,” said Trump, who considered that this “enduring problem” between Washington and Tehran “is close to resolution.”
This Monday, the US president had claimed to believe that Tehran was negotiating “in good faith” with his country and that “they would like to be able to reach an agreement” before the ultimatum was met, although he insisted that the Iranian peace proposal “is not good enough.”
“We have to reach an agreement that is acceptable to me and part of that agreement will include the free movement of oil (through the Strait of Hormuz),” he said at a press conference at the White House, where he insisted that if Tehran does not comply with what is demanded, “they will not have bridges, they will not have power plants.”
This blockade has led the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, to be “very pessimistic” regarding the current energy crisis, which is worse than those of 1973, 1979 and 2022 combined, and fears a “black” April if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened this month.
“As long as it remains closed, the world economy will continue to face very great difficulties”
In an interview published this Tuesday in the French newspaper The FigaroBirol insists that although the IEA works on different lines, such as measures to save oil and gas and could decide to put a more important part of its strategic reserves on the market, “the only, true solution” is “the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.”
“As long as it remains closed, the world economy will continue to face very great difficulties,” he adds.
Regarding the current situation, “the world has never experienced a disruption in energy supplies of such magnitude. If you look at the three major past oil and gas crises, the current crisis is more serious than those of 1973, 1979 and 2022 combined. We are facing a great energy shock that combines an oil shock, a gas shock and a food shock,” he assured.
