WASHINGTON D.C. – In an eleventh-hour announcement that defused soaring regional tensions just hours before planned military action, former US President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday that he had consented to a two-week pause in airstrikes against Iran, conditional on Tehran fully reopening the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz under a tentative bilateral ceasefire agreement.
In a social media post shared just 60 minutes ahead of the self-imposed deadline for launching what he had previously described as catastrophic attacks on the Islamic Republic, Trump outlined the clear terms of the pause: “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.”
He emphasized that the arrangement marks a reciprocal cessation of hostilities, writing, “This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!”
Justifying the decision to hold off on military action, Trump stated that US forces had already surpassed all initial military objectives. He added that negotiations toward a long-term peace deal with Iran and broader stability across the Middle East were already far advanced, noting that Tehran had submitted a 10-point proposal that Washington views as a viable foundation for final talks.
The breakthrough announcement followed a last-minute diplomatic initiative from Pakistan, which stepped in to mediate and prevent the outbreak of large-scale US military operations. In the lead-up to the deal, Trump had issued a stark warning that an failure to reach an agreement would lead to the collapse of an entire civilization.
Expanding on the purpose of the 14-day window, Trump added that nearly all longstanding points of disagreement between the two nations had already been resolved. The pause, he said, would simply give negotiating teams time to finalize and formalize the full agreement.