Politics News

US and Iran agree a two-week ceasefire hours before Trump's deadline, with talks in Islamabad

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire late on Tuesday, April 7, shortly before a deadline President Donald Trump had set for Iran to meet his demands. Malay Mail, carrying an AFP report, said the deal came about an hour before the 8pm Washington deadline, and that Iran agreed to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of the world's oil and which Tehran had sealed after the war began on February 28. KUOW, the Seattle public radio station, put the margin at less than two hours.

Iran agreed to talks with Washington starting on Friday in Pakistan, which has acted as mediator. Trump called Iran's 10-point plan "workable". Hours earlier he had warned that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran did not agree to a deal.

“I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.” — Donald Trump, via Malay Mail

Pakistan's The News said Trump acted after high-level contacts with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, and that two White House officials said Israel had also agreed to suspend its bombing campaign. Jamaica's The Gleaner stressed Iran's Supreme National Security Council statement that "this does not signify the termination of the war".

How each outlet framed it

  • Malay Mail — the escalation before the pause: threats against power plants and bridges, strikes on railways, Pope Leo XIV's criticism, and falling oil prices.
  • The News — Pakistan's role: Sharif's public appeal for a two-week extension and Islamabad as the venue for talks.
  • The Gleaner — Tehran's conditions and warnings, strikes on Kharg Island, and condemnation of Trump's remarks at home.
  • KUOW — a short public-radio bulletin on the deadline and the deal.

Where the numbers differ: The News cited tallies of more than 5,000 people killed across nearly a dozen countries, including over 1,600 civilians in Iran. The Gleaner reported Iran's president saying 14 million Iranians had volunteered to sacrifice their lives, double earlier state media figures.