Pakistan brokers two-stage truce to end US-Iran war
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- Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has been in contact "all night long" with US VP JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi to broker a two-stage truce.
- The proposed "Islamabad Accord" would trigger an immediate ceasefire and Strait of Hormuz reopening, with 15 to 20 days to finalize a broader deal, in-person talks in Pakistan's capital, and a final agreement covering Iranian nuclear non-proliferation in exchange for sanctions relief and release of frozen assets.
- Iran rejected reopening the Strait of Hormuz as part of a temporary ceasefire, saying it won't accept deadlines, and called the US's 15-point plan "illogical" and "extremely ambitious."
- Axios first reported Sunday that the US, Iran, and regional mediators were discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire as part of a "two-phased deal," citing US, Israeli, and regional sources.
- Trump posted an expletive-laden threat to rain "hell" on Tehran if a deal to reopen the strait isn't reached by end of Tuesday.
- At least 34 people were killed in Iran's Monday bombings, including strikes on a top Tehran university and the South Pars Petrochemical Plant, pushing Iran's war death toll past 2,000 since February 28.
Why it matters: Iran's rejection of reopening the Strait of Hormuz during a temporary ceasefire guts the central trigger of the Pakistan-brokered deal — especially with Trump demanding a Hormuz agreement by end of Tuesday while at least 34 Iranians died in Monday's strikes. Pakistan is scrambling to bridge what Al Jazeera's correspondent called "a sea of distrust" and "egos."
