In a dramatic reversal just hours before his own deadline for mass strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that the United States has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, brokered by Pakistan. The agreement comes on the condition that Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical maritime passageway that Tehran has effectively blockaded since the war began in late February.

Trump announced the deal on Truth Social Tuesday night, per Axios. The two-week window is intended to allow negotiators to work toward a larger, potentially permanent agreement to end the war. Discussions are reportedly ongoing through mediators about potential in-person talks, likely to be led by Vice President JD Vance, though no formal meeting has been announced. Trump posted that the agreement was "subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," per Bloomberg.

The deal is built on a proposal put forward earlier Tuesday by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who publicly called on both Washington and Tehran to pause hostilities for two weeks and allow diplomacy to move forward. Sharif also urged Iran to reopen the strait during that period as a "goodwill gesture." The White House had confirmed Trump was aware of the proposal and that "a response will come," per CNBC. Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had been in contact overnight with Vice President Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to broker the arrangement.

The announcement came less than twelve hours after Trump posted one of the most extreme threats of the six-week war. "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," he wrote on Truth Social Tuesday morning, adding that he did not want that outcome "but it probably will" happen. By Tuesday afternoon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned that the day's strikes would be heavier than any since the war began, and that Tuesday would be even worse.

It is the fourth time Trump has extended or walked back a deadline he described as final. He had previously set deadlines of March 21, March 26, and April 6 before extending each one. Each time, he had described the coming extension as his last, per PBS NewsHour. At a Monday press conference, Trump said he was "highly unlikely" to extend Tuesday's 8 p.m. deadline again.

The two-week window will test whether indirect diplomacy can produce something durable. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world's oil flows, has been effectively closed to commercial traffic since the war began February 28. Its blockade drove Brent crude oil above $109 a barrel and U.S. gas prices to a national average of $4.14 a gallon, the highest since 2022, according to AAA. Reopening the strait even temporarily would provide immediate relief to global energy markets.

A permanent end to the war faces significant obstacles. Iran has consistently demanded a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire, insisting on the lifting of U.S. and international sanctions, reparations for reconstruction, and guarantees against future attacks. The U.S. has conditioned any deal on Iran surrendering its highly enriched uranium stockpile and committing to end nuclear enrichment entirely. Israel, whose forces have also been conducting strikes throughout the war, has pushed back on any agreement that does not include Iran handing over its uranium, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has privately conveyed concerns to Trump about ceasefire proposals.

The war, now in its sixth week, has killed more than 3,400 people across the region, including more than 1,900 in Iran. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed. The International Energy Agency called the oil supply disruption triggered by Iran's Hormuz blockade "more serious than the ones in 1973, 1979 and 2002 together."

Whether Iran will formally accept the terms and begin reopening the strait has not yet been confirmed. BET News will continue to follow this story as it develops.