US President Donald Trump announced, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, that he agreed to suspend the bombing of Iran for two weeks, while also accepting the 14-day truce proposal formulated by Middle East mediators in the conflict with Tehran, Reuters and CNN inform.
Trump said in a message posted on his Truth Social social network that he had spoken with leaders in Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator between Washington and Tehran and has called for a two-week truce.
“Based on discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan, during which they requested me to postpone the destructive force that was to be sent this evening (night, Romanian time, no) to Iran, and subject to the agreement of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the FULL, IMMEDIATE and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attacks on Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump wrote.
“This will be a mutual ARMISTICE,” the US president added.
According to Trump, the cease-fire agreement was reached on the condition that Iran agree to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a crucial seaway through which about 20 percent of the world's oil passes.
Trump said the US had received a 10-point proposal from Iran, which he described as a viable basis for negotiations.
The White House leader also said in his post that almost all past sticking points have been agreed between the US and Iran, and the two-week period will allow a deal to be finalized.
Trump, who has presented shifting goals and timelines for the war, reiterated that he believes Washington's goals have been met.
Trump's full message
- “Based on discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan, in which they requested me to postpone the destructive force that was to be sent this evening against Iran, and subject to the agreement of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the FULL, 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. This will be a mutual Ceasefire!
- The reason we are doing this is that we have already met and exceeded all military objectives and are very close to a definitive agreement on long-term PACE with Iran and PACE in the Middle East.
- We have received a 10-point proposal from Iran and we believe that this constitutes a viable basis for negotiations.
- Almost all past sticking points have been agreed between the United States and Iran, but a two-week period will allow the deal to be finalized and consummated.
- On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the countries of the Middle East, it is an honor that this long-standing issue is close to being resolved. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.“
The war with Tehran began when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
Tehran responded with its own attacks on Israel and the Gulf states where US bases are located.
The war rocked global markets and sent oil prices skyrocketing.
US and Israeli attacks on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have so far killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
Trump had previously warned on Tuesday that “an entire civilization will perish tonight” (night Romanian time) if Iran does not reach an agreement.
Pakistan's proposal
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday asked US President Donald Trump to extend by two weeks the deadline he had set for Iran to end the Gulf oil embargo, Reuters previously reported.
Pakistan was the intermediary through which the United States and Iran communicated their terms for the cessation of hostilities, but mediators in Islamabad had received no signals that the two states were willing to compromise.
“To allow diplomacy to take its course, I honestly request President Truma to extend the deadline by two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests its Iranian brothers to open the Strait of Hormuz for a similar period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture,” Shehbaz Sharif wrote in a post on the X social network.
The Pakistani prime minister's attempt at a minimum compromise came just hours before the expiration of Trump's ultimatum to Iran to reopen maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a press release that President Trump had received the proposal. “The president has been briefed on the proposal and a response will follow,” Leavitt said in a press release.
On Monday, the American president threatened Iran to unleash “hell” on this country, attacking its bridges and power plants, if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (Romanian time).
