Trump Announces Two-Week Iran Ceasefire Before His Own Deadline

President Trump announced a two-week suspension of U.S. strikes on Iran on Tuesday night, about 90 minutes before the 8 p.m. Eastern deadline he had set for Tehran to make a deal or face attacks on its power plants and bridges. NBC News and CBS News reported that the pause is conditional on Iran agreeing to a “complete, immediate and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.

Hours earlier Mr. Trump had warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” NBC News reported. NBC News reported that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir had asked him to hold off, and CBS News said the pause was agreed at Pakistan’s request. NBC News reported that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council allotted two weeks for talks that begin Friday in Islamabad and can be extended by mutual agreement. Iran expressed “complete distrust” of the United States, and CBS News said it was unclear whether U.S. officials would attend.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran would halt “defensive operations” if the attacks stop, and that its armed forces would coordinate “safe passage” through the strait, CBS News reported. Iran put forward a 10-point plan that, according to both outlets, includes compensation for war damage and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from regional bases. NBC News said it includes controlled passage through the strait, and CBS News said it also calls for sanctions relief and Iranian control of the strait. Mr. Trump called the plan “a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

The two sides remain far apart. CBS News said Iran rejected a 15-point U.S. proposal the day before, and that Mr. Trump appeared to reject Iranian control of the strait, suggesting the U.S. should collect any tolls. CBS News reported that Iran says it will not stop enriching uranium.

Israel’s role is a complication. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the ceasefire does not cover Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon, both outlets reported.

Oil fell fast. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped more than 13 percent to below $92 a barrel, CBS News reported. The war began Feb. 28.

The threat that preceded the deal drew sharp reactions in Washington. NBC News reported that Democratic leaders condemned it, that Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the president’s removal even after the ceasefire, and that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was glad Mr. Trump “backed off.” Most Republican congressional leaders stayed silent, NBC News said; Sen. Ron Johnson said he did not want to see civilian infrastructure attacked. NBC News noted legal experts’ view that carrying out the threats could amount to war crimes.

Mr. Trump said the U.S. is “very far along” toward a definitive agreement, CBS News reported, though no long-term deal has been reached.