US and Iran Agree to Two-Week Ceasefire Following Pakistani Diplomatic Breakthrough

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on the night of April 7, 2026, averting a threatened mass bombing of Iranian civilian infrastructure after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif brokered a last-minute diplomatic intervention. Donald Trump announced the suspension of U.S. offensive operations against Iran approximately 90 minutes before his self-imposed 8:00 p.m. Washington time deadline, under which he had demanded that Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he had agreed to suspend attacks "for a period of two weeks" following talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistani Army General Asim Munir, who urged him to extend the deadline. The agreement is conditioned on Iran's "full, immediate and safe opening" of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also described a recent ten-point Iranian peace proposal as a "viable basis" for a comprehensive agreement, and said the two sides were "well on our way" to a long-term deal. First-round negotiations are expected to begin in Islamabad, though the White House had not officially confirmed the talks as of the time of reporting.

Trump's civilization threat preceded the last-minute deal The day had opened with some of the most extreme rhetoric of the five-week-old conflict, with Trump warning that "an entire civilization will die tonight, never to return" if Iran did not comply with his demands. Earlier in the week, Trump had threatened to destroy all of Iran's bridges and power plants "in four hours," claiming U.S. forces had a plan to put every Iranian energy facility "out of service" and "never able to be used again." Iran's Supreme National Security Council responded by declaring a military "victory" once the ceasefire was announced, stating that "the enemy, in its unjust, illegal, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, suffered an undeniable, historical, and crushing defeat." Mohammad Reza Aref, the first vice president of Iran under President Masoud Pezeshkian, had earlier rejected Trump's warnings on social media, writing that "Iran is not an incident in history, but history itself." „Iran is not an 'incident' in history, but history itself. A civilization that survived centuries of turbulence and delusions of those who wish it ill” — Mohammad Reza Aref via Notícias ao Minuto Aref added that Iran "will not be influenced by Trump's primitive rhetoric." Iran's UN Permanent Representative Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council that Trump's statements "constitute incitement to war crimes and potentially to genocide," and warned that Iran would exercise "its inherent right of self-defense" with "immediate and proportional reciprocal measures" if attacked.

Israel struck railways, a university, and a synagogue before the truce Before the ceasefire took hold, Israeli forces conducted strikes on Iranian infrastructure, hitting eight sections of railways and bridges in multiple cities including Tehran, Karaj, Tabriz, Qom, and Kashan, as well as a petrochemical complex in Shiraz. Israeli forces stated the rail crossings were targeted "to prevent the regime's forces from using them to transfer equipment and weapons." At least two people died in Kashan, according to reporting from the Portuguese outlet SAPO. Sharif University in Tehran, described as one of the world's leading institutions in engineering and artificial intelligence, was partially destroyed in an Israeli airstrike. A synagogue in Tehran, the Rafi Nyia synagogue, was also destroyed; Israeli forces initially denied targeting civilian sites before acknowledging the synagogue was "collateral damage" from a strike aimed at a senior Iranian official. The Iranian Ministry of Education stated that approximately 30 universities had been hit since the start of the conflict, though that figure had no independent confirmation. U.S. forces separately struck military targets on Kharg Island, the terminal through which 90% of Iran's oil exports pass, raising fears of a collapse of Iran's oil sector with potential global repercussions. 90 (%) — share of Iranian oil exports handled by Kharg Island

International condemnation mounted as diplomacy raced the clock The escalating rhetoric prompted sharp international reactions before the ceasefire was announced. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed "deep concern" over Trump's statements and stressed that "no military objective justifies" the imposition of civilian suffering, calling on leaders to choose dialogue over destruction. Augusto Santos Silva, a former Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs and former President of the Assembly of the Republic, published a pointed rebuke on social media, though without naming Trump directly. „A political leader who threatens to destroy a civilization is an immoral being, whose cult is death, a paranoid despot, a war criminal, and absolutely ignorant of any historical knowledge” — Augusto Santos Silva via Notícias ao Minuto Santos Silva concluded his post with a single word: "In short: a fascist." Iran had also threatened, through military sources, to attack oil infrastructure in Gulf states including Saudi Aramco if the U.S. proceeded with strikes on Iranian energy plants, warning that "the entire region and Saudi Arabia will be completely in the dark." A Bahrain-sponsored UN Security Council resolution that would have forced Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was vetoed by China and Russia. Pakistan's mediation effort, supported by Egypt, Turkey, and China, ultimately provided the diplomatic off-ramp that both Washington and Tehran accepted. Trump acknowledged that the ceasefire was "bilateral" and claimed U.S. forces had met and exceeded "all military objectives" in Iran, while Iran's government simultaneously declared the outcome a historic victory — each side presenting the pause in fighting as a vindication of its own position.

The U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28, 2026, and resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the initial strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. Iran responded to the offensive by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of the world's oil supply flows, triggering a major disruption to global energy markets. The conflict entered its fifth week by the time the ceasefire was announced, with both sides exchanging strikes on military and civilian infrastructure.

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