THE negotiations stretched into the second day and the closed doors remained firmly shut. It took 47 years to bring those doors—and the people sitting behind them—to this point. When so much time has already been spent just reaching the table, a little delay in reaching a decision should not be a cause for undue concern. That was one way to look at the delay, though there were countless long-standing anxieties lurking in the background. While that is true, the old Arabic saying “al-intizar ashad dumin al-mawt”—waiting is more painful than death—aptly described our condition. We sat waiting for the outcome, caught in precisely that state of restless anticipation.

Yet, while this wait was justified, there is another reality: one outcome of these negotiations had already emerged even before they formally began—and it was the very outcome we had been hoping for, namely a ceasefire. Whether this ceasefire is for a day, fifteen days or a longer duration is not the central question. Why this outcome matters—that is the real puzzle to understand. There was the looming threat from President Donald Trump that he intended to erase Iranian civilization. Just hours remained before the expiry of his ultimatum when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s X Account spoke. He appealed to both sides for a ceasefire—an appeal that was welcomed and soon after, the ceasefire........

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