US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire in Iran following a request by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The announcement came about 90 minutes before Trump's 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time deadline for Iran to agree to open the Strait of Hormuz and agree to a deal.
"Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, 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 of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
He added, "The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement 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 to have this Longterm problem close to resolution. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" concluded Trump.
An official in the Middle East told CNN earlier on Tuesday that “some good news is expected from both sides soon" after Sharif asked the US and Iran to observe a two-week ceasefire to allow for diplomacy to end the war.
The source further told CNN that the discussions were steered directly by Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The source added that a deal is expected to be closed on Tuesday night.
Sharif had asked Trump to postpone his deadline for Iran by two weeks and implement a truce for that same period, while also urging Tehran to allow maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during that time.
“To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks," wrote Sharif, whose government has been serving as a mediator between Iran and the United States, in a post on social media.
“Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture," he added.
“We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region," wrote the Pakistani Prime Minister, who added that efforts to end the conflict are “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully."
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran is positively considering the Pakistani proposal.
The White House said that Trump has been made aware of Sharif’s proposed ceasefire and that “a response will come."
Trump told Fox News that the United States is in “heated negotiations" over the Iran war, declining to elaborate on the talks.
The US President warned in an earlier post on Truth Social that a civilization will "die tonight" if Iran does not accede to his ultimatum.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Trump wrote. "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!" he said.
On Monday, the President gave a speech in which he clarified that the deadline he set for reaching an agreement with Iran until Tuesday remains in place, and issued additional threats against the regime in Tehran.
"The entire country [of Iran] can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said. The remarks came after Iran rejected the offer of a temporary ceasefire and demanded an end to the war subject to several conditions: an end to conflicts in the region, the establishment of a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the restoration of infrastructure and the complete lifting of sanctions.
Iran later rejected Trump’s threats, claiming the US suffered a humiliation in the war and calling the President “delusional".
A spokesman for Iran’s Armed Forces Central Headquarters said, “The rude, insolent, and baseless threats of the delusional US President will not make up for the humiliation and disgrace of the United States in the West Asia region."
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of the Seventh Day of Passover in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)