Stephen Ukandu with Agency Report
US President, Donald Trump, has announced a “double-sided ceasefire” between the United States and Iran, in a post on Truth Social early Wednesday, stating that Operation Epic Fury will be suspended for two weeks to allow an agreement on the ceasefire to be finalised.
The announcement followed a proposal for cessation of hostilities by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif had urged both the Iranian leadership and Trump to implement a two-week ceasefire “to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of the war.”
Israel also agreed to the temporary ceasefire and will suspend attacks on Iran as negotiations proceed, a senior White House official told CNN shortly after the announcement.
Trump said Iran had submitted a 10-point proposal for ending the ongoing war, providing a “workable basis on which to negotiate.”
He added that “almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to” between the United States and Iran, noting that the two-week period would allow the agreement to be “finalised and consummated.”
He further claimed that his decision to accept the ceasefire proposal was based on the United States having “already met and exceeded all military objectives” in the region.
According to a New York Times report citing two US officials, Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, shortly before making the announcement.
Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, who proposed the ceasefire, also announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it would take immediate effect and could extend to Lebanon and other countries in the region.
He added that negotiations on the agreement would be held on Friday in Islamabad.
In a statement on X, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Iran would cease “defensive operations” if all attacks are halted.
Araghchi also assured that, during the two-week period, “safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces.”
Despite the ceasefire announcement, Iran reportedly launched a series of missile barrages towards Israel and Gulf states on Wednesday night.
A US defence official told Axios that, although the ceasefire is in effect, it may take time for orders to halt strikes to reach lower-ranking units within Iran’s military.
Pakistan pushes ceasefire initiative
The ceasefire announcement followed an earlier request by Pakistan for Trump to grant a two-week extension to a deadline he had imposed on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The deadline was originally set for 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
Sharif reiterated the call in a post on X, stressing the need for diplomacy to end the conflict.
“Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly, and powerfully, with the potential to yield substantive results in the near future,” he said.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, praised Islamabad’s efforts, describing them as a step forward at a “critical and sensitive stage.”
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, also held talks with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, to coordinate efforts to help the US and Iran “reach understandings,” according to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.
Dar also spoke with Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, on ongoing diplomatic efforts, Reuters reported, citing Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if no agreement was reached by the deadline, describing the moment as one of the most significant in global history.
