Trump-Iran 2-Week Ceasefire Begins; Friday Islamabad Talks Set
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- Trump agreed to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran for two weeks, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz expired; he initially called Iran's 10-point peace plan "workable" but later labeled it "fraudulent" without elaborating.
- Pakistan is set to mediate talks beginning Friday in Islamabad, with Trump citing conversations with PM Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Gen. Asim Munir; the plan allows both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran's revenue earmarked for reconstruction.
- Iran kept firing on the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Israel after the ceasefire announcement—setting a gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi ablaze—while Israel struck an Iranian petrochemical site in Shiraz for the second straight day.
- Israel backed the ceasefire, but PM Netanyahu said it does not cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, where 1,500+ have been killed and 1 million displaced; 11 Israeli soldiers and 13 U.S. service members have also died.
- Iran's conditions for ending the war include U.S. combat force withdrawal from the region, lifted sanctions, and release of frozen assets; Tehran's U.N. rep called Trump's "a whole civilization will die tonight" threat "incitement to war crimes and potentially genocide."
- Tehran hardliners responded to the ceasefire with "Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!" chants and burned American and Israeli flags, while the U.S. military halted offensive operations against Iran but kept defensive actions running.
Why it matters: The Strait of Hormuz reopens for two weeks under Iranian and Omani oversight, with Iran collecting transit fees for reconstruction. But Iran, Israel, and Gulf states kept exchanging strikes after the announcement, making Friday's Islamabad talks the only remaining step to cement a peace deal.
