US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he was pushing off a major bombing campaign in Iran for two weeks and that Washington agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, which continued to attack Israel early Wednesday morning as Israeli forces also kept striking targets in Islamic Republic.

Trump declared the truce was subject to the Strait of Hormuz being reopened, though the premier of Pakistan — which has served as the key mediator between Washington and Tehran — claimed it was “effective immediately” and that in addition to the US and Iran, “their allies” agreed to “an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the ceasefire while maintaining that it did not cover Lebanon, several hours after a security official, however, told The Times of Israel that despite the truce declaration, the Israeli Air Force was still striking Iran.

“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, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, less than two hours before his 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to reopen Hormuz and agree to a US proposal for ending the war was set to expire.

“This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE! 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 wrote.

“We received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two-week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” he added.

“On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this long-term problem close to resolution,” Trump said.

The announcement marked the fourth time Trump has pushed back his threat to bomb Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure sites if it does not agree to his demands. He first gave Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on March 21 and has since pushed back that deadline by five days, ten days and one day respectively, with the latest postponement following his warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not agree to his demands by the Tuesday 8 p.m. US Eastern Standard Time deadline he set.

After Trump spoke, a US official confirmed the American........

© The Times of Israel