From raining fire to ceasefire: How did Trump reverse course on the Iran war?
President Donald Trump had threatened attacks on Iran that would wipe out “a whole civilization.” But as his ultimatum deadline approached, he tried a different tact.
He announced a two-week ceasefire.
Trump said late Tuesday, April 7, that he would suspend the imminent attacks on Iran for two weeks to allow for more time to negotiate a peace plan in the U.S.-Israeli war against the Middle Eastern nation.
“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," Trump said in a statement on social media.
Trump made the announcement just two hours before the 8 p.m. deadline he had imposed for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the key passageway for oil and petrochemical shipping. Iran had effectively closed the strait to the United States, Israel and other countries that supported their attacks on Tehran. Trump had threatened to strike civilian infrastructure in Iran if the strait was not reopened and warned that “a whole civilization will die" in the attacks.
It was not immediately clear how soon the ceasefire would take effect. Israeli media reported it would begin once Iran reopened the strait; it also reported that Israel expected Iranian attacks to continue in the interim.
How did we get here?
The United States and Israel began a military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, following weeks of military buildup and the failure of diplomatic efforts to avoid war. Trump said the goal was to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, although he had claimed earlier that Iran's nuclear capabilities had been obliterated by U.S. and Israeli military strikes last summer.
More than 3,000 people have been killed in the war.
Pakistan has been acting for weeks as a mediator between the United States and Iran and has submitted a 10-point peace plan that calls for, among other things, reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement that Iran had accepted the terms of the temporary ceasfire "in response to the brotherly request" of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, told USA TODAY in a written message that the ceasefire was the work of "leadership in concert" and came from "persistent/patient diplomacy." But more diplomacy was needed, he said.
Why did the U.S. accept the ceasefire?
The ceasefire announcement capped a whirlwind day that started with Trump threatening in a post on social media to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran unless Tehran reopened the strait.
Trump's rhetoric unnerved world leaders, rattled global financial and energy markets and drew widespread condemnation, including from members of Congress, the head of the United Nations and Pope Leo.
It also came as average gas prices in the United Sates, a concern for American voters and consumers, topped $4 per gallon.
The temporary ceasefire accomplishes one of Trump's objectives – reopening the Strait of Hormuz – and buys him more time to find an off-ramp in a war that polls show is highly unpopular with the Ameircan public.
Israel will be part of the ceasefire if Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz, a White House official told USA TODAY. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in a statement said the country will observe the ceasefire "if attacks on Iran are halted."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to USA TODAY that "President Trump and our powerful military got Iran to agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations will continue."
Why did Iran accept the temporary ceasefire?
Iran's Supreme National Security Council portrayed the deal as a victory over the United States., claiming Trump had accepted Iran's conditions for ending hostilities.
The agreement also meant Iran would be able to avoid the destruction of its infrastructure and the likelihood of more bloodshed that would have occurred if Trump had followed through on his threat of more attacks.
What happens now
Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, announced in a post on X that the United States and Iranian delegations were invited to Pakistan's capital of Islamabad on Friday, April 10, to continue negotiations on the 10-point peace plan to end the conflict.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the negotiations will begin on Friday but that Iran does not trust the United States, according to Al Jazeera.
The outlet reported that the council said that the temporary ceasefire "does not mean an end to the war" and that the country will accept an end to the war when the plans details are "finalized in the negotiations.”
In her statement, Leavitt said the proposed peace plan was, "a workable basis to negotiate, and those negotiations will continue."
Contributing: Reuters