By Bassem Mroue, Jon Gambrell and Samy Magdy
The Associated Press
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the evening of April 7 that he’s pulling back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran. The move to deescalate the war came after Trump warned Iranian officials via social media that their “whole civilization will die tonight” if they didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. on April 7.
Trump announced the ceasefire less than two hours before the 8 p.m. deadline
Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets, subject to Tehran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the pivotal waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported during peacetime. He also said Iran has proposed a “workable” 10-point peace plan that could help end war the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted a two-week ceasefire in the war and that it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday. “It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” the council’s statement said.
In a post on his social media site, Trump said that provided Iran agreed “to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz” he would “suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”
Since the war began on Feb. 28, Trump has repeatedly backed off of deadlines just before they expire.
In doing so again April 7, Trump said he had come to the decision “based on conversations” with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Gen. Asim Munir, Pakistan’s powerful army chief.
Sharif, in a post on X hours earlier, urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks to allow diplomacy to advance. He used the same post to ask Iran to open the strait for two weeks.
The president said in his social media post that Iran has presented “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,” Trump said.
This article was originally published by The Associated Press.