President Trump announced a two-week pause on planned strikes against Iran after intense talks with Pakistani leaders, conditioning the delay on Iran taking concrete steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide guarantees for regional stability. Iran offered a 10-point proposal and agreed to limited safe passage, while Israel also paused operations and regional diplomacy moved toward an Islamabad meeting. Washington says the pause buys time to finish negotiations that could lock in a durable peace arrangement.
The decision to hold off came after discussions with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, who urged the United States to “hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran,” a request the president accepted for a limited window. Trump made clear this was not a sign of weakness, but a strategic move to convert battlefield advantage into a lasting diplomatic result. The pause is tightly scoped and conditional, not open-ended.
The president set a firm condition for moving forward: Iran must agree to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” That demand puts commercial traffic and global energy security front and center, and it shows the administration is not trading security for talk. Previously the president had warned a strike could begin at a specific hour if no deal appeared, so this two-week interval is a deliberate, tactical choice.
Trump framed the pause bluntly on his platform, writing “This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” He explained the move as the logical next step after hitting military objectives, saying “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.” That language underscores a transactional approach: pressure first, then leverage the gains to secure a formal settlement.
U.S. officials say Iran delivered a 10-point proposal and they “believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.” The administration echoed that many of the old sticking points were being resolved, with the president adding, “Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.” He also framed the work as broader than U.S. interests alone: “On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution.”
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued a response that thanked Pakistan’s mediators and signaled readiness to halt defensive actions if attacks were stopped. Tehran said that for 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.” Those phrases leave room for operational detail, but they do mark a tangible, verifiable concession on a critical chokepoint.
As part of the stand-down, Israel agreed to suspend its bombing campaign in Iran, a move that tightens the regional pause and lowers the immediate risk of broader escalation. Pakistani officials invited delegations to Islamabad to press talks further, aiming to convert the temporary halt into a binding pact. The diplomatic timetable includes a Friday meeting intended to stitch together the remaining terms and secure commitments from all parties.
The White House emphasized that plans remain fluid and any in-person talks are not finalized, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying, “There are discussions about in person talks, but nothing is final until announced by the President or the White House.” For now the policy is clear: maintain pressure, protect U.S. and allied interests, and use leverage to force concrete, verifiable changes from Iran. The next two weeks will test whether diplomacy can lock in what military action created.
