US, Iran step back from the brink as ceasefire deal reached

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This seemed so so close to being something apocalyptic.

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The world was within 90 minutes of learning if U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat that a “whole civilization will die tonight” was real or a negotiating tactic.

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But at 6:32 p.m. ET, the president posted to Truth Social to say his 8 p.m. deadline would be extended.

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“I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” the president posted on his Truth Social platform.

There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief in what Trump said was a mutual agreement.

“This will be a double-sided ceasefire,” wrote Trump. “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 long-term peace with Iran, and peace in the Middle East.”

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Potential escalation averted

This news came as reports suggested U.S. bombers were on route to Iran to potential hit bridges and power plants in the next phase of Operation Epic Fury.

While many were bracing themselves for this potential annihilation, news came of the agreement brokered through Pakistan, with Trump posting that his decision was based on “conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the complete, immediate and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz.”

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Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and Israel had also agreed to the ceasefire, as of Tuesday night.

At a pro-regime rally outside of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto — with some carrying posters of the late ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as captured by Toronto lawyer and independent journalist Caryma Sa’d — protesters expressed relief that this ceasefire has kicked in.

Meanwhile, there were still reports of Iranian rockets being fired into Tel Aviv in Israel and missile alerts being sounded in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait before Iran had publicly confirmed that it had agreed to the ceasefire.

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‘Workable basis on which to negotiate’

However, Trump believes this agreement between the U.S. and whoever is running Iran will ensure the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, which was the main sticking point as Iranian military strikes on vessels traversing the waterway had resulted in huge increases in gas prices around the world. Trump said he also hoped it leads to no nuclear capability for Iran and lasting peace.

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Gas and oil prices reportedly saw an instant drop with this news. Trump, however, said the U.S. has “received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

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It’s certainly a long way from where it was earlier in the day, when Trump’s morning tweet said “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, who knows?”

The president continued, saying “we will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

Pakistan brokered deal

The verdict came in and the escalation was called off.

While many reacted in horror to the president’s words and some were calling for his removal from office, like it or not it appears somebody on the Iran side did not want to see if Trump was bluffing.

Trump posted a statement from Iran’s foreign minister confirming the ceasefire, in which Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote “on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran I express gratitude and appreciation” to Pakistan that “if attacks against Iran are halted, our powerful armed forces will cease their defensive operations … for a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible.”

While no one knows if this will hold or if it merely stops what people were worried would happen in Iran, many are grateful the Iranian civilization will live on for at least two weeks and that a more permanent peace agreement is possible.

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