United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire

The United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, suspending nearly six weeks of conflict in the Middle East.

The deal was reached shortly before US President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night (8 p.m. Eastern Time) deadline for Iran to open to the Strait of Hormuz or face the death of a “whole civilization”.

As part of the conditional agreement, which was accepted by its Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran have agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with talks over a broader agreement between the two countries scheduled to begin in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday.

Context

The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, comes more than six weeks after the United States and Israel began a military operation against Iran over allegations that it was developing nuclear weapons.

It quickly escalated to involve other countries in the Middle East region, causing a rapid rise in the price of energy resources across the world after the Strait of Hormuz was closed off by Iran.

President Trump on Sunday gave Iran 48 hours, ending at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, to reopen the Strait or risk being wiped out.

What are the two countries saying?

Announcing the deal on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had agreed to suspend attacks on Iran for two weeks, subject to Iran agreeing to the "complete, immediate and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz".

The agreement, he added, was reached following the mediation of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Trump also said the US had already met and exceeded all military objectives, later telling AFP that it was "total and complete victory" for the United States.

Iran meanwhile, also claimed victory, after it said President Trump had agreed to its 10-point plan.

The Supreme National Security Council of Iran, the primary body tasked with overseeing the country’s national security interests, described the outcome as a “crushing defeat for the United States” who had engaged in an “unfair, unlawful, and criminal war” against Iran.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be possible, "via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."