The United States and Iran have reached a ceasefire deal on Tuesday evening (US Time), hours after President Donald Trump threatened to start wiping out Iran’s “whole civilization” if it allowed vessels to pass safely through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The ceasefire was announced by President Trump in a post on social media. Hours before the announcement, Pakistan, a mediator in the West Asia war, urged President Trump to stand down from the 8 pm Eastern time (5.30 AM IST on Wednesday) deadline he had set for Iran to accede to his demands.
Trump said he agreed to Pakistan’s proposal, which calls for a two-week cease-fire and the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Over the next two weeks, Trump said that the United States will work on finalising an agreement with Iran.
Pakistan proposed that each side observe a two-week cease-fire, and that, during that time, Iran allow oil, gas, and other vessels to proceed unmolested through the economically vital waterway.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted a two-week ceasefire in the war. In a statement, the council said it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.
“It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” the statement said. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”
In the deadline, Donald Trump had warned on Tuesday morning “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran didn’t give in. His threats to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including power plants, may have amounted to war crimes if they were carried out.
Trump’s comments were swiftly met with condemnation from Democrats, some “Make America Great Again” supporters who have since broken with Trump, and the first American pope.
Some Republican lawmakers expressed concern that the threat could cause the president to lose public support, New York Times reported
After Trump’s threat to eliminate “a whole civilization” in Iran, more than a quarter of congressional Democrats have called for Trump’s removal from office, either through impeachment or by his cabinet stripping him of power through the 25th Amendment, New York Times reported. Many raised concerns about the president’s soundness of mind and said his post to social media threatening widespread civilian destruction was evidence that he was not mentally fit to hold office, the newspaper said.
It’s been six weeks since the West Asia war began with joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Tensions escalated following the killing of 86-year-old Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the military strikes on 28 February.
In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries, causing further disruptions to the waterway and impacting international energy markets as well as global economic stability, disrupting trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
On 3 April, Iran shot down a US Air Force F-15E fighter jet carrying two crew members, one of whom was recovered safely that day. The search-and-rescue operation for the second airman lasted two days and took commandos deep inside Iran. The downing of the F-15E was the first time that a US combat aircraft was shot down in the war.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, as per NYT report, said at least 1,665 civilians, including 244 children, had been killed in Iran as of Monday. Lebanon’s health ministry on Monday said more than 1,500 people had been killed in the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. In attacks blamed on Iran, at least 32 people have been killed in Gulf nations. In Israel, at least 20 people had been killed as of Monday. The American death toll stands at 13 service members, with hundreds of others wounded.
Iran’s Supreme Security Council had submitted a 10-point proposal to the US via Pakistan.
Iran’s explanation of the 10-point plan included its claim that the Strait of Hormuz would be subject to “regulated passage … under the coordination of the Armed Forces of Iran.” It added that it would be “thereby conferring upon Iran a unique economic and geopolitical standing.” It would also receive full sanctions relief.
Just before Trump’s Tuesday deadline, the United States and Israel struck key infrastructure in Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying attacks hit railways and bridges allegedly used by the Revolutionary Guards.
The Israeli military also offered a rare statement of regret after it acknowledged damaging a synagogue in Tehran, saying it had been targeting a senior Iranian commander.
Iran, run by Shia Muslim clerics, is home to around 100 synagogues for its historic Jewish minority.
Infrastructure attacks reported by Iranian authorities onTuesday included a US-Israeli strike on a bridge outside the city of Qom and another on a rail bridge in central Iran that killed two people.
Iran has retaliated with weeks of drone and missile attacks on Gulf Arab states, citing their role as hubs for US troops.
The attacks have shattered the monarchies’ hard-fought reputation for safety and stability.
Qatar said early Wednesday that four people were hurt by falling missile debris, including a child. AFP reporters also heard explosions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they responded to missile threats.
Two civilians, one of them an eight-year-old child, were killed in Baghdad when a projectile crashed into their home, police told AFP.
