Trump announces ceasefire, says negotiations are on

American President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran were “very far along” towards a “definitive” peace agreement, while announcing a two-week ceasefire to allow negotiations to proceed.

The announcement came as a dramatic late-evening development that pulled the two sides back from the brink of a major military confrontation.

At 18:32 Washington time (4:02 am IST Wednesday), Trump posted on his social media platform that he would suspend planned military strikes on Iran for a period of two weeks, citing ongoing diplomatic progress.

The move came just ahead of a self-imposed 20:00 EDT (5:30 am IST Wednesday) deadline.

Washington had earlier warned of massive strikes targeting Iranian energy and transportation infrastructure.

In a formal statement, Trump said the decision followed conversations with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, who had urged restraint. He added that the suspension of hostilities was contingent upon Iran agreeing to the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.

“This will be a double-sided ceasefire,” Trump said, asserting that the United States had already “met and exceeded all military objectives” and was close to finalising a long-term peace arrangement with Iran.

He also said that Washington had received a 10-point proposal from Tehran, describing it as a “workable basis” for negotiations, with most past points of contention already addressed.

The announcement marks a sharp shift from the tone earlier in the week. As recently as Tuesday morning, Trump had issued stark warnings to Tehran, threatening the destruction of Iranian civilisation “never to be brought back again,” underscoring the volatility of the situation.

Officials indicated that the ceasefire remains conditional on Iran reciprocating by suspending hostilities and ensuring full access to the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, an assurance Tehran has signalled it is prepared to provide.

The rapid turn from escalation to negotiation highlights both the fragility of the situation and the high stakes involved in securing stability in the Gulf, a region critical to global energy supplies.