Trump backs away from strike threat as U.S. and Iran agree to two-week ceasefire

# Trump backs away from strike threat as U.S. and Iran agree to two-week ceasefire

By IO Digest Desk

U.S. President Donald Trump pulled back late Tuesday from threats to launch major strikes on Iran after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, according to the AP report in the packet. The deal came less than two hours before the deadline Trump had set for Tehran to capitulate or face attacks on infrastructure including bridges and power plants.

The turnabout marked a sharp change in tone from the ultimatum Trump had issued earlier, when he warned of a campaign severe enough to damage Iranian “civilization.” Instead of immediate escalation, the report says the two sides moved toward a negotiated pause that also includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it had accepted the ceasefire and would begin talks with the United States in Pakistan on Friday. The AP report said neither side immediately stated exactly when the truce would start, and attacks were still taking place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday. That left the agreement looking less like a clean break in fighting than a fragile pause layered over an active conflict.

The status of the Strait of Hormuz was central to the arrangement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the waterway would be allowed under Iranian military management. The AP report said it was not immediately clear whether that meant Iran would fully relax its control of the route. A regional official also said the plan would allow Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting the strait, with Iran using the revenue for reconstruction.

Those terms matter because the strait is a major chokepoint for regional trade and energy shipments. The AP account suggests the ceasefire is not only about stopping attacks, but also about bargaining over access, fees and the wider political costs of the war.

Israel backed the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it does not cover the fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon. His office said Israel supports Trump’s decision to suspend strikes if Iran immediately opens the strait and halts attacks on the United States, Israel and other countries in the region. Israel also said it supports U.S. efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear or missile threat.

The AP report says the process was clouded by confusion over a 10-point plan that was supposed to guide negotiations. One Farsi version reportedly included wording on acceptance of enrichment for Iran’s nuclear program, while that phrase was missing from English versions shared by Iranian diplomats. Trump initially called the proposal workable, then later called it fraudulent without explaining the change.

The episode also fits a pattern in which Trump has repeatedly backed off deadlines just before they expire. This time, he said on social media that his decision followed conversations with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Gen. Asim Munir, Pakistan’s powerful army chief. Sharif had earlier urged Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks and asked Iran to open the strait during that same period.

Even after the announcement, the AP report described continued tension in Tehran, where pro-government demonstrators celebrated with anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans. That reaction underlined how unstable the moment remained. The ceasefire may have bought time, but the reporting leaves the broader conflict, the nuclear dispute and the future of the Strait of Hormuz far from settled.

The event date for this report is 2026-04-07.