The US accepts Pakistan’s proposal for a two-week cease-fire with Iran.
President Trump said on Tuesday night that the United States had accepted Pakistan’s proposal for a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
The Pakistani proposal, which was made only hours before Trump’s deadline for launching huge strikes in the event that a deal could not be struck, calls for a two-week opening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and a halt to Trump’s threat.
A more comprehensive accord that might put an end to the war would be negotiated during that two-week timeframe.
Although nothing has been disclosed, there have been talks through mediators on possible face-to-face negotiations, which are probably going to be headed by Vice President Vance.
Less than twelve hours have passed since Trump made the threat to destroy Iran’s whole “civilisation.” More precisely, he posed a threat to power plants, bridges, and possibly water and oil infrastructure.
Over the past 24 hours, talks between the United States and Iran have accelerated, with Pakistan acting as the main mediator.
The presidents of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and political friends like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had encouraged Trump to reject any plan unless Iran made significant concessions.
Vance and ambassador Steve Witkoff, two members of Trump’s staff, have urged him to accept a deal if they can.
Prime Minister Shehbaz had earlier in his X timetable asked President Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks so that diplomacy could continue and Iran could open the Strait of Hormuz for a similar amount of time as a gesture of goodwill.
Trump had set a deadline of 8 p.m. ET for April 8 and threatened to destroy Iranian infrastructure if an agreement could not be reached, so diplomatic efforts had stepped up. Trump had reiterated his threat on Iran just hours before the deadline, declaring that “a whole civilisation will die tonight.”
President Trump declared, “This will be a double-sided ceasefire.”
He said that the United States had already achieved and beyond all military goals and was well on its way to reaching a final agreement for long-term peace with Iran and peace in the Middle East.
“We think Iran’s ten-point proposal is a feasible starting point for negotiations. The US President stated that “nearly all of the various points of contention between the United States and Iran have been agreed upon, but a two-week period will allow the Agreement to be finalised and consummated.”
Trump said that the long-term issue was almost resolved and called the development an honour for the United States of America and the Middle Eastern nations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz had earlier stated that diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East were moving forward gradually, forcefully, and powerfully with the potential to produce significant outcomes in the near future.
“I humbly ask President Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks so that diplomacy can continue.” As a show of goodwill, Pakistan sincerely asks the Iranian brothers to open the Strait of Hormuz for a matching two-week period.
In the interest of long-term peace and stability in the area, he also called on the warring parties to follow a two-week ceasefire everywhere so that diplomacy might bring about a definitive end to the conflict.