US, Iran agree to ceasefire for two weeks

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States and Iran had agreed to a two-week ceasefire, announced shortly before a deadline after which he had warned that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The 11th-hour deal, brokered by Pakistan's prime minister, was announced by Trump on Truth Social.

"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, 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. "This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE."

The US received a 10-point proposal from Iran, which Trump called "a workable basis ‌on which to negotiate," Reuters reported.

Trump said in his post that nearly all of the various points of past contention had been agreed to between the US and Iran and the two-week period will allow a deal to be ​finalized, according to Reuters. Israel also agreed to the ceasefire.

Iran's national television celebrated the deal, calling the ceasefire a win.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement: "It was decided at the highest level that Iran will hold negotiations with the American side in Islamabad for two weeks."

Negotiations between the two sides are expected to begin on Friday. 

The price of oil fell dramatically after the announcement, with May futures for West Texas Intermediate dropping nearly 19 percent to below $92 a barrel.

The U-turn by the US on Iran came as Americans had been on edge earlier in the day over Trump's heightened rhetoric.

Trump vowed on Monday that he would destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure by wiping out "every bridge" and power plant if Iran did not strike a deal by his Tuesday deadline. On Tuesday morning, Trump went a step further, threatening that a "whole civilization will die" if Iran did not agree.

Adam Turner, 54, from New York, was tearful about how stressed out the president's rhetoric was making him feel over Iran and a host of other issues since he's been in office.

"I think the way that he speaks about Iran is no different than the way he speaks about anything else," Turner told China Daily.

"It's not speech that I would accept from any horrible person on the street. It is without respect. It is without intelligence, without dignity. And the fact that we are represented by that is a crime. So, the way he speaks about Iran is no different than the way he speaks about anything. It's vile."

"It makes me sad because I don't think the Iranian people deserve it," Turner added. "It didn't need to happen. He got rid of [former President Barack] Obama's Iran deal. We had a deal in place that was effective."

Trump's stance sent alarm bells ringing in the US among everyday Americans, US senators and the United Nations.

A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN chief was "deeply troubled" by statements suggesting civilians could bear the consequences of military decisions.

And the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Tuesday warned that the threats by the US could amount to serious violations of international law.

Lewis Fox, 66, from Manhattan, New York, was also disgruntled by the US president's aggressive rhetoric on Iran and wanted to see a more diplomatic approach.

"I think he doesn't have a clue what he's doing. I have no idea how he ended up in a position where he had the ability to do what he is doing.

"He has converted the United States into being the bully of the world versus the savior of the world. And therefore, he definitely shouldn't be talking like that."

Other critics of Trump's threatening post toward Iran on Tuesday included former staunch ally Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

"Not a single bomb had dropped on America," she posted on X. "We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, on Tuesday called on Republican members of Congress to act.

"Congress must immediately end this reckless war of choice in Iran before Donald Trump plunges us into World War III," Jeffries said in a post on X. "It's time for every single Republican to put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness. Enough."

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com