US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face widespread attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
The announcement on social media was the latest example of Trump backing down from severe threats, after he warned Iran earlier on Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if his demands were not met.
Trump said the deal was subject to Iran’s agreement to pause its blockade of oil and gas supplies through the strait, which typically handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments.
“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “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.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP: 🇮🇷🇺🇸 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… pic.twitter.com/5kusEoCMbf
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) April 7, 2026
Earlier, Pakistan, a mediator between the US and Iran, on Wednesday requested that President Trump grant a two-week extension to a deadline he imposed on Iran to end its blockade of Gulf oil.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran is positively reviewing Pakistan’s request for a two-week ceasefire. The White House said Trump is aware of Pakistan’s proposal, saying a response will come.
“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 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.
WATCH | Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged US President Donald Trump to grant a two-week extension to the deadline he set for Iran to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/nlLtacousU
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 7, 2026
Sharif’s comments come after Trump, in a social media post that shocked world leaders, said that “a whole civilisation will die tonight”
Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) in Washington – 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Tehran – to end its blockade of Gulf oil or see the US destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran.
Sharif urged “all warring parties” to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks “to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war”.
He added that diplomatic efforts to settle the war peacefully were “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future”.
Sources told Reuters on Tuesday that talks between the US and Iran were at risk of being derailed following Tehran’s attacks on Saudi Arabian industrial facilities.
Pakistan has been the main go-between for proposals shared by Iran and the United States, but there has been no sign of a compromise.
