US President Donald Trump announced that he has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, suspending the ultimatum with which he had threatened attacks on Tehran’s power plants, and the elimination of “an entire civilization” if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the ceasefire, invited the Iranian and US delegations to meet in Islamabad on April 10. Tehran stated that during the two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz “will be possible through coordination with the Iranian Armed Forces.”
Here are all the details.
TRUMP’S MOVE
Donald Trump agreed to suspend bombings and attacks on Iran for two weeks, “provided that the Islamic Republic of Iran consents to the full, immediate, and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” he explained on his social platform Truth, stating that “this will be a bilateral ceasefire.”
TRUMP’S WORDS
The US president then welcomed the proposal made by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, emphasizing that “the reason for this decision is that we have already achieved and surpassed all military objectives and are well advanced with a definitive agreement regarding long-term peace with Iran and peace in the Middle East. We have received a 10-point proposal from Iran and believe that – Trump noted – it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”
THE WORDS OF IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER
“If attacks against Iran cease, our powerful armed forces will halt their defensive operations,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on X, announcing that “for a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible through coordination with the Iranian armed forces and duly taking into account technical limits.”
CEASEFIRE ALSO IN LEBANON, ACCORDING TO PAKISTAN…
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the United States, Iran, and their allies have agreed to a ceasefire “everywhere,” including Lebanon, following his government’s mediation aimed at ending weeks of fighting: “I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, effective immediately,” Sharif wrote on X.
… BUT ISRAEL DOES NOT AGREE
The two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran “does not include Lebanon.” This was stated in a communiqué by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel declared its support for US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend bombings on Iran for two weeks as part of a ceasefire agreement, provided that Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz.
“Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks, provided that Iran immediately reopens the strait and ceases all attacks against the United States, Israel, and the countries of the region,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “Israel also supports the US commitment to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile, and terrorist threat to America, Israel, Iran’s Arab neighbors, and the world,” the statement continued.
OIL PRICES DROP
After the truce announcement, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the American crude benchmark, plummeted by nearly 18%.
CHINA’S ROLE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN
The United States has achieved a “total and complete victory” with the two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran. President Donald Trump declared this in a brief phone interview with AFP, speaking of a “total and complete victory. One hundred percent. No doubt about it.”
US President Donald Trump told AFP that he believes China helped bring Iran to the negotiating table to agree on the two-week ceasefire deal. “It seems so to me,” Trump said during a phone interview, responding to a question about whether Beijing was involved in convincing Tehran to negotiate a truce.
Trump is expected to travel to Beijing next May to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
