United States and Iran They agreed on Tuesday to a two-week ceasefire before President Donald Trump’s deadline to destroy the country expired, with Tehran willing to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and negotiate.
After more than a month of devastating attacks by the United States and Israel, Iran said it had agreed to engage in talks with Washington, starting Friday in Pakistan, to end the conflict.
LOOK: Iran announces peace negotiations with the United States in Pakistan starting April 10
Pakistanwho acts as a mediator, confirmed that Iran agreed to an “immediate ceasefire,” according to its prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.
Trump said he had spoken to Pakistani leaderswho “asked him to stop the destructive force that was going to be sent to Iran tonight.”
“Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran accepting the FULL, IMMEDIATE AND SECURE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack against Iran for a period of two weeks,” wrote trump on its Truth Social platform.
Trump’s new ultimatum to Iran. (EFE).
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks, the exit route for a fifth of the world’s oil, which Tehran had closed in retaliation for the war that started on February 28.
“If the attacks against Iran stop, our powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations”Araghchi said.
Trump affirmed that the United States was “very advanced” in negotiating a long-term peace agreement with Iranwho had presented a 10-point plan that he described as “viable.”
According to Iran, the plan includes the lifting of long-standing sanctionsthe guarantee of the country’s “control” over the Strait of Hormuz and the withdrawal of US forces from the region.
Iranians burn American and Israeli flags in reaction to the announcement of the ceasefire in Enqelab Square, in Tehran, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by AFP).
/ STR
Besides, demands that Washington accept its uranium enrichment program.
After the truce announcement, the Seoul Stock Exchange soared more than 6% and the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose more than 4% this Wednesday at the opening of operations.
The price of oil fell almost 18% after Trump’s pronouncement.
Gas prices at the pump had risen since the start of the war for ordinary Americans, putting strong political pressure on Trump.
There was no immediate reaction from Israel, which had encouraged Trump to go to war against Iran, whose ruling Shiite clerics support anti-Israel armed groups across the Middle East.
Trump had set a deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz at 8:00 p.m. in Washington (midnight GMT), or 3:30 a.m. in Tehran.
Iranian citizens hold a photograph of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during a demonstration following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire. (EFE/EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH).
/ ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
He had previously threatened to destroy all power plants and bridges in the country of 90 million inhabitants, which would amount to a war crime as they were targets for primarily civilian use.
The US president had also issued threats that sparked warnings that he was inciting genocide, which could potentially one day lead to war crimes charges against US military personnel who followed orders.
“An entire civilization will die tonight, never to return. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump had written.
The rhetoric was an escalation from an insult-laden publication two days earlier, on Easter Sunday.
Pope Leo XIV said “this threat against the entire people of Iran” was “truly unacceptable.”
The United States and Israel attacked key infrastructure even before Trump’s deadline, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed attacks on railroads and bridges that he said were used by the Revolutionary Guard.
The Israeli military also issued a rare statement of regret after acknowledging that it had damaged a synagogue in Tehran, when its target was a senior Iranian commander.
Tehran, ruled by Shiite Muslim clerics, is home to around 100 synagogues for its Jewish minority.
Attacks on infrastructure reported Tuesday by Iranian authorities included a US-Israeli bombing of a bridge outside the city of Qom and another of a railway bridge in central Iran that left two people dead.
Iranian state media published photos purportedly showing groups of people forming human chains to protect power plants.
A peace agreement, if finalized, would leave the Islamic regime standing, despite the hopes of Israel and the United States to overthrow it.
Trump has alleged that Iran was close to building an atomic bomb, a claim that is not supported by the U.N. nuclear body or most observers.
Iran has responded to the war by attacking Arab states in the Persian Gulf that host American troops.
Israel, in turn, has launched a major offensive in Lebanon, promising to control the territory from which Iran-linked Hezbollah has fired rockets against it.
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