Trump announces two-week ‘double-sided’ ceasefire with Iran

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday evening, bringing a pause to the more than month-long conflict with the Islamic Republic.

The ceasefire comes after the Pakistani government submitted a two-week proposal that includes Iran agreeing to an “immediate and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.

The president said the U.S. has agreed to “suspend the bombing” attacks on the Islamic Republic for “a period of two weeks.” He calls it a double-sided ceasefire, underscoring that the U.S. has already “met and exceeded all military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive agreement concerning long term peace with Iran, and peace in the Middle East.”

Notably, the president didn’t indicate whether Israel, which is engaged in Operation Roaring Lion against Iran, will participate in the ceasefire as well.

However, Trump appears optimistic about a peace proposal from Iran, saying the two weeks would allow time to finalize an agreement.

“We received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is 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 posted on Truth Social.

The announcement of the ceasefire came just over an hour before Trump’s 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline, after giving the Islamic Republic 10 days to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier Tuesday, the president issued a dire warning to Iran, saying that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran didn’t agree to a deal.

There were multiple reports overnight that the U.S. targeted several Iranian military sites on Kharg Island, striking ammunition storage, radars and bunkers on the vital Iranian island. The island, located in the Persian Gulf off the southwest coast of Iran, hosts up to 90% of the nation’s oil exports.

Last week, the president remarked that the conflict was winding down, estimating only two to three weeks left of fighting.