Iran and the United States have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, pausing one of the most dangerous military confrontations in recent Middle Eastern history. Pakistan’s prime minister brokered the pause after personally urging both sides to stand down.
This fragile truce leaves nearly every core dispute unresolved, with fighting still reported in the region.
What You Need to Know About the Iran-US Two-Week Ceasefire
Q. Why did Trump agree to pause the bombing campaign against Iran?
A. Trump cited conversations with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir as decisive. Sharif publicly urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks and asked Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said US military objectives had already been met and exceeded.
Q. Has Iran genuinely accepted the ceasefire terms?
A. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed acceptance but issued a pointed warning. “Our hands remain upon the trigger,” the council’s statement read. Iran stressed the ceasefire does not mean the war has ended.
Q. What is happening with the Strait of Hormuz?
A. Iran’s foreign minister said ships may pass through the strait over the next two weeks under military coordination. However, Iran attached conditions it called “technical limitations,” which did not exist before the war. Around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply transits the strait under normal conditions.
Q. What does Iran’s 10-point peace proposal actually contain?
A. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council released its full 10-point plan via the semi-official Mehr News Agency. The demands represent a sweeping restructuring of US-Iran relations, not merely a ceasefire arrangement. The ten points are as follows:
- A US commitment to no further acts of aggression against Iran
- Continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz
- US acceptance of Iran’s right to nuclear enrichment
- Lifting of all primary US sanctions on Iran
- Lifting of all secondary US sanctions affecting third-party entities
- Termination of all UN Security Council resolutions against Iran
- Termination of all IAEA Board of Governors resolutions against Iran
- US payment of war damages and compensation to Iran
- Full withdrawal of US combat forces from the region
- Cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon
The White House has not clarified what Trump meant by calling the plan “workable.”
Q. Is the ceasefire actually holding on the ground?
A. Missile alerts sounded in Israel and the UAE shortly after both sides announced the ceasefire. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard commanders have operated independently throughout the conflict, making compliance uncertain. Several regional wars have seen last-minute strikes even after ceasefires were declared.
Q. How have financial markets responded to the truce?
A. US crude oil futures dropped 18% to around $92.60 per barrel following Trump’s announcement. S&P 500 futures rose 2.4% as investors welcomed the de-escalation signal. Oil prices nonetheless remain far above their pre-war levels, near $70 per barrel.
Q. What happens next, and what remains unresolved?
A. US and Iranian negotiators are scheduled to meet in Islamabad beginning Friday. Iran’s demand for a US military withdrawal from the region remains deeply contentious for Gulf Arab states. Whether the Revolutionary Guard will honor the truce — and whether Iran’s conditions are acceptable to Washington — remains entirely unclear.
