US and Iran agree two-week ceasefire as regime agrees to reopen Strait of Hormuz
President Trump had previously threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges if a deal was not made by 8pm ET
The US and Iran have agreed on a two-week ceasefire in a last-gasp deal just 90 minutes before Donald Trump's chilling deadline for the regime was due to expire.
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Mr Trump agreed to extend the dealine for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shortly before it was due to expire at 8am ET (1am BST). He had warned he would wipe out a "whole civilisation" if Iran failed to meet it.
In a last ditch effort to avoid catastrophe, the US president announced that he accepted a proposal put forward by Pakistan on the 11th hour.
As part of the deal, Trump said he will suspend attacks on Iran, which is reliant on the Strait of Hormuz being opened by Iran for the same two-week period.
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has also approved the ceasefire proposal put forward by Pakistan, according to a New York Times report citing Iranian sources.
Confirming he had accepted the proposal, Mr Trump wrote 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, 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 added: "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."
Iran said it achieved a great victory and forced the United States to accept its 10-point plan, according to a statement from its Supreme National Security Council.
It said the US has in principle agreed to remove all primary and secondary sanctions against Iran and agreed to accept the country's nuclear enrichment programme.
“The enemy, in its unfair, unlawful, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat,” its statement read.
Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, full statement on X reads: "On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I express gratitude and appreciation for my dear brothers HE Prime Minister of Pakistan Sharif and HE Field Marshal Munir for their tireless efforts to end the war in the region.In response to the brotherly request of PM Sharif in his tweet, and considering the request by the U.S. for negotiations based on its 15-point proposal as well as announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran’s 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council:
"If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations.
"For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."
A senior White House official has said Israel also agreed to the proposal, according to CNN.
Mr Trump had previously told reporters that the US was in "heated negotiations" over an extension to his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz following a last-minute plea from Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Mr Sharif asked the US to extend its deadline for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz by two weeks as it seeks to broker a last-minute peace deal between the Americans and Iran.
Pakistan has been attempting to broker an end to the war for weeks, and says efforts towards peace have progressed "steadily".
Just hours before Mr Trump's deadline passes, Sharif asked for the extension "to allow diplomacy to run its course".
He then confirmed the request had been granted on Truth Social.
He wrote on X: "Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future.
"To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks.
"Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture.
"We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region."
The last-gasp intervention came as Iranian citizens formed human shields around power plants and bridges after the threat against their civilian infrastructure.
Trump had threatened massive strikes on Iran nation's bridges and power plants if it failed to agree to his terms by his deadline.
Footage released by Iranian state media showed huge crowds gathering around the sites as they stand in defiance of potentially disastrous looming US strikes.
In one video, civilians are linked up in a chain while waving Islamic Republic flags in front of a power plant - after Trump warned on Monday that today would be "Power Plant Day" as he threatened a four-hour obliteration of the country's facilities.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump said "a whole civilization will die tonight" if "total regime change" is not enacted in Iran ahead of his proposed peace deal deadline of 8pm EST (1am BST).
Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future. To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 7, 2026
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social this afternoon, the US President insisted that Iran's population will "never be brought back" if US strikes take place.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote.
The threat comes hours after Kharg Island was reportedly hit by a series of strikes, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday, with Iran's Revolutionary Guard issuing a warning to regional neighbours.
The Revolutionary Guard had earlier warned its neighbours that "restraint is over", adding that it will target US and partners' infrastructure and disrupt regional oil and gas supplies "for years".
Mr Trump has given Tehran until 8pm on Tuesday Washington time (1am on Wednesday UK time) to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz or be bombed “back to the Stone Ages”.
Yesterday, he warned "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran", writing on Truth Social: "There will be nothing like it!!!"
He added in the expletive-filled threat: "Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b******* or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP"
Trump continued: "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!"
Reiterating its stance on the UK joining the US and Istael in policing the Strait, Downing Street said on Tuesday that UK’s focus remains “de-escalation” and a “negotiated settlement” for the region.
Calls for a resolution come as Mr Trump appeared to escalate his rhetoric and the US-Israeli bombing campaign continued.
An earlier post by the US President threatened to reduce Iran's leadership to "living in hell" as he referred to the Iranian regime as "crazy b*****ds".
Iran then flatly rejected his proposed ceasefire - one that would ultimately see the Strait of Hormuz opened for a short period.
It comes as the US military struck dozens of Iranian military targets on Kharg Island overnight, according to an American official speaking to NBC News.
Iranian media announced the strikes earlier in the day, with the US confirming targets along the northern side of Kharg Island - Iran's oil production hub.
It comes as gunfire was heard near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, with one attacker shot dead and two others injured - with two police officers wounded in the attack.
The assault did not include any US troops on the ground, an American official told the outlet, with forces avoiding direct strikes n the Island's oil hub.
Instead, the US opted to strike military bunkers and storage facilities.
Earlier in the day, an Iranian official was seen to urge young Iranians to form human chains around the country's power plants - it comes as Trump threatened the energy facilities.