President Donald Trump speaks with reporters during a news conference at the White House on April 6, 2026. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump agreed Tuesday evening to a proposal by Pakistan calling for a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
“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 posted on Truth Social before a self-imposed deadline of 8 p.m. “This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!”
The president added that Iran had presented a 10-point proposal that he believes is “a workable basis on which to negotiate.”
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council responded with a statement that Iran had been victorious and congratulated the Iranian people for their defiance in the war with the United States and Israel.
The council added that the U.S. had accepted all of Iran’s 10-point peace plan, including guarantees to not attack Iran, Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, repatriation for financial losses and withdrawing U.S. combat forces from the region.
“We congratulate the people of Iran for this victory and reiterate that until the final details of the victory are finalized, officials and people must remain united and defiant,” the council said.
The 11th-hour decision came after Trump escalated his threats Tuesday morning to destroy the country’s infrastructure and talks appeared to stall.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” he said in a post to his Truth Social account. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
Trump’s threats against Iranian infrastructure have prompted outcry from critics around the globe, including on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said such an operation would be a “textbook war crime.” Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., called for Trump’s removal from office.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., said she will introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him the “chief enabler of an illegal war.”
“Iran is a country of 90 million people,” she said in a video posted to X. “Threatening them with annihilation is a monstrous war crime and puts them and American service members and Americans at grave risk.”
With both chambers of Congress under Republican control, any articles of impeachment are unlikely to gain traction. But the congressional pushback reflects wider unease about potential strikes.
Tehran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal, saying it instead wants a permanent end to the war.
Trump has signaled for weeks that he is prepared to expand U.S. strikes against Iran to power plants and bridges if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28, 13 American personnel have died and at least 372 have been wounded, according to Defense Manpower Data Center figures.
American forces have struck more than 13,000 targets inside Iran, decimating much of its missile stockpile, production facilities and largest naval vessels. Early in the conflict, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is now supreme leader.
The ceasefire comes after an F-15E fighter jet, referred to by call sign Dude 44, was downed Thursday night in southern Iran. One crew member was promptly recovered while a risky search-and-rescue operation unfolded to recover the second crew member.
Stars and Stripes reporter Lara Korte contributed to this report.
