WASHINGTON, D.C. — Roughly two hours before a major deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump announced he will suspend any bombing or attacks on Iran for two weeks.
“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 COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday evening.
“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! 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. We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” Trump added in the post.
Tuesday morning, Trump said failure to meet the original deadline would have resulted in the destruction of “a whole civilization.” It was a stark warning that sparked fears about a drastic escalation in the war. It was also concerning for Iranian Americans who have family and friends in Iran and want to see an empowered resistance movement — not destruction.
President Trump originally set the 8pm ET deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil chokepoint, or else face consequences.
“And after that, they’re going to have no bridges. They’re going to have no power plants,” Trump said during a briefing Monday. “The entire country can be taken out in one night.”
Tuesday morning, the president warned if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to end the war by the deadline, a “whole civilization” will die.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The White House dismissed concerns that such targets could be considered war crimes.
“These are people that are living where the bombs are exploding. And when we leave and we’re not hitting those areas, they’re saying, ‘please come back, come back, come back,’” Trump said when asked about innocent Iranian civilians on Monday.
Before the 11th hour ceasefire agreement, Iranian-Americans expressed concerns about what the attacks could mean for innocent civilians.
“I am certainly worried about civilian loss,” said Dr. Majid Sadeghpour, the political director for the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OAIC). “All parties involved here in this war must do everything they can to protect the people, including the economic and civil infrastructure of Iran.”
“Iran is its people, not the regime. Whatever is done, the Iranian people must be treated with care and as an ally of the free world- particularly the United States,” Sadeghpour said.
Dr. Sadeghpour said bombing Iran — especially civilian targets — makes it more difficult for organized opposition — like the National Council of Resistance of Iran — to stay organized and to mobilize.
“Mounting an uprising in the middle of bombing is nearly impossible,” he said.
“Ending, the threat of the Iranian regime requires a fundamental change in the regime. For that to occur, you need an organized force on the ground to fight the regime. Bombs from airplanes will not do it. That force has existed for 45 years,” Sadeghpour added. “The main concern of the Iranian regime is its own defiant population inside Iran, because they are afraid of igniting an underground of uprising in Iran.”
Before the last-minute ceasefire deal, energy markets were watching closely amid surging gas and oil prices. U.S. benchmark oil — West Texas Intermediate — rose above $116 a barrel Tuesday, while Brent crude traded around $110. AAA says the national average for regular gas is now roughly $4.14 a gallon.
