2-week Cease-fire

President Donald Trump suspended planned airstrikes against Iran after Pakistan made a last-minute bid to delay the strikes on its neighbor’s key infrastructure, agreeing to a ceasefire that will last two weeks. 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “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.” 

The announcement that hostilities would be wound down for the coming weeks came just half an hour before the 8:00 p.m. ET deadline Trump had previously set for Iran to agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

It came after Pakistan reached out to the U.S. and Iran earlier on Tuesday, seeking to mediate a plan to delay U.S. airstrikes in the region. 

 “To allow diplomacy to run its ​course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline ⁠for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian ​brothers to open [the] Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two ​weeks as a goodwill gesture,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X.

Trump said that the 10-point peace plan proposal put forward by Iran is a “workable basis” to continue negotiations.

“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! 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,” Trump wrote.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Iran also agreed to the ceasefire. Iran will allow safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks, following Trump’s announcement that attacks would be suspended.

“If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations,” Araghchi said in a statement posted to social media.

“For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”

Araghchi said the decision was in response to a 15-point peace proposal from Pakistan and Trump’s comments on Iran’s 10-point proposal.

Ahead of the ceasefire, Iranian forces had continued attacks on countries across the Middle East throughout the day on Tuesday.

In the final five hours before 8:00 p.m., Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar all reported missile and drone attacks targeting their respective territories. The Ministry of the Interior for Bahrain also reported alarms and called on its citizens to seek shelter.

Trump had been threatening the obliteration of Iran’s energy sector for weeks, particularly as a retaliatory measure for Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which serves a key transit point for the maritime trade of oil and other global commodities.

Iranian attacks on the Strait of Hormuz began after U.S. and Israeli forces commenced attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. 

In recent days, Trump escalated threats to target key infrastructure in Iran if the strait was not reopened. 

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday. He demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic, giving the Persian nation until 8:00 p.m. ET to change course before the U.S. would begin retaliatory strikes on bridges and power facilities.

Trump left open the possibility that Iran could still avert the worst outcome, writing, “Maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight.”

The ceasefire came as Trump faced international scrutiny over his Tuesday posts on Truth Social.

Leadership at the United Nations had expressed concerns about the comments, with a spokesperson for the international body telling reporters that U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres was “very troubled” by Trump’s statement.

“There is no military objective that justifies the wholesale destruction of a society’s infrastructure or the deliberate infliction of suffering on civilian populations,” the spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said at a press briefing.

—Joseph Lord, Ryan Morgan, and Troy Myers

BOOKMARKS

Many people who regretted gender procedures have tried to file malpractice claims, only to have them tossed out because of the statute of limitations. Check out Darlene McCormack Sanchez’s latest report to see how some states are changing that.  

The United States is already in talks with Cuba, the White House revealed on Tuesday, following a meeting of Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. The Reps issued a joint letter decrying the oil embargo against Cuba, calling it “an economic bombing of the infrastructure of the country.” 

Newly minted Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin wants to take a “hard look” at Customs operations at airports in cities with sanctuary policies. “If they’re a sanctuary city, should they really be processing Customs into their city?” he asked during an interview this week.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is launching a fresh round of fraud investigations using the Justice Department’s newly created National Fraud Enforcement Division. The massive project will involve every U.S. attorney’s office nationwide.

Researchers announced a few new, revolutionary treatments for osteoarthritis this week, including a 3-D printed living knee implant that regenerates cartilage. Take a look at Zachary Stieber’s latest report to learn more.