Trump pledges to stop bombing in Iran for 2 weeks

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. This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE! Trump said. 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. We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Trump said that Iran has agreed to almost all of the various points of past contention, and this extension will allow time for a permanent agreement to be finalised. 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 finalised and consummated. 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, he said. This comes after Trump's provocative statements on his Truth Social platform, had warned of potential unprecedented destruction while simultaneously hinting at a transition of power within Iran. A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will, Trump had written. The new pause announced by the US President will spring hope that the conflict which started on March 28 will now come to an eventual end as both sides step back to ensure peace prevails. Earlier on the day, Trump said Tuesday that the White House is in heated negotiations over the war against Iran, reported Xinhua. Right now we're in heated negotiations, Trump told Fox News in a phone interview, hours before the 8:00 p.m. ET deadline Trump set for Iran to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iran's armed forces said Tuesday they would target U.S. and allied infrastructure, warning that such strikes could cut off the region's oil and gas supplies for years and ultimately force foreign forces to leave West Asia, a spokesperson said in a video statement. US Israel attack Iran's bridges, Kharg Island, Iran hits Israeli ship At least two people were killed and three others injured as a railway bridge in Iran's central province of Isfahan was attacked Tuesday by the United States and Israel, the official news agency IRNA reported. The bridge is located in Yahyaabad village in Kashan County, the IRNA quoted Akbar Salehi, Isfahan's deputy governor for political and security affairs, as saying. According to the IRNA, an area near Kashan's train station was also targeted with three projectiles at around 13:00 local time (0930 GMT), damaging a number of nearby residential units as well as cars. Meanwhile, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that a number of road bridges west of Iran's central Qom province were also struck by U.S. and Israeli projectiles on Tuesday, without causing any casualties. According to Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency, several explosions were heard in Iran's Kharg Island on Tuesday, following multiple attacks by the United States and Israel. Western media reports said the attacks hit over 50 military targets on the island, which is Iran's oil export hub. Also on Tuesday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said it has targeted an Israeli-owned container ship trying to transfer military equipment to Israel through the United Arab Emirates without crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, the IRGC warned that if the U.S. army crosses the red line in attacking civilian targets, Iran's response will go beyond the region, stressing, We have not been and will not be the initiators of attacks on civilian targets, but we will not hesitate to retaliate vile aggressions against civilian facilities. Int'l airport in W. Iran attacked by US, Israel An international airport in Iran's western province of Lorestan was attacked by the United States and Israel on Tuesday morning, with no casualties reported, Iran's official news agency IRNA said, citing a local official. The attacks also damaged communications infrastructure in rural areas of Selseleh and Delfan counties in the province, disrupting telecommunications, said the report. The U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on various parts of Chegeni city also damaged sports infrastructure, IRNA added. Nour News, a media outlet affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, reported that Israel and the United States attacked airports in Urmia, Khoy, Kashan and Mashhad on Monday evening, and struck Qasem Soleimani International Airport in the southwestern city of Ahvaz with missiles on Sunday. Since the beginning of the conflict in late February, the U.S. and Israeli attacks have targeted Mehrabad International Airport in the capital Tehran a number of times. Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders and civilians killed in the strikes. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and U.S. bases and assets across the Middle East. Protesters storm Kuwaiti consulate in Iraq over deadly rocket strike Dozens of protesters stormed the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra, southern Iraq, on Tuesday evening in response to a rocket strike that killed five people earlier in the day, security sources said. An officer from the Basra Operations Command, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Protesters, however, managed to scale the consulate's wall and enter the compound, which was empty of Kuwaiti staff at the time. Once inside, the protesters lowered the Kuwait flag and raised the Iraqi flag, the source added. An Iraqi Interior Ministry source told Xinhua that the demonstration was directly linked to the rocket attack on a residential house in Basra province. Earlier Tuesday, an unidentified rocket struck a house on a farm in the Khor al-Zubair area south of Basra, killing five people, according to a security source. Kuwait later condemned the attack on its diplomatic site and said it holds Iraq fully responsible for the incident. The unrest came amid heightened regional tensions following joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran starting Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. Meanwhile, a drone crashed into a house in Baghdad's western Ameriyah neighborhood Tuesday evening, killing one person and wounding four others from the same family, an Iraqi Interior Ministry source told Xinhua. Earlier reports said large explosions shook the Iraqi capital Tuesday night. In a separate incident, another drone struck a building in Baghdad's Jamila neighborhood, sparking a fire. The ministry source also confirmed that a rocket barrage targeted the Victoria base, which houses the U.S. Embassy's diplomatic support center near Baghdad International Airport. No immediate information on casualties was available from that attack. 8 killed in Israeli strikes across S. Lebanon At least eight people were killed in Israeli airstrikes at dawn and on Tuesday morning targeting multiple areas in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's National News Agency, reported Xinhua. The casualties on Tuesday morning included three people killed in a strike on the village of Tayr Debba, one person killed in the Zebdine area, and another killed in Deir al-Zahrani. In another location near Tyre, the death toll from a dawn airstrike rose to three after a wounded woman succumbed to her injuries. In separate statements, Hezbollah said it carried out rocket attacks targeting Israeli positions and settlements, as well as Israeli troops. Meanwhile, Lebanon's General Security Directorate issued a statement denying Israeli reports that the Masnaa border crossing, the country's main overland gateway to Syria and the Arab hinterland, is being used for weapons smuggling. In a statement released by its media office, the directorate emphasized that Masnaa is a legal border point and cannot be used for arms smuggling. It noted that all trucks and vehicles are subject to strict inspection measures, describing circulating allegations of smuggling operations as unfounded. Cross-border fighting has continued along the Lebanon-Israel border since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, triggering intensified Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as on Beirut's southern suburbs. Missile hits UAE mobile-satellite service provider building Two people were injured after a ballistic missile struck an administrative building belonging to regional mobile-satellite service provider Thuraya Telecommunications Company in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates' third-largest emirate, the Sharjah Media Office said Tuesday. Two Pakistani nationals sustained moderate injuries in the incident and were transported to hospital to receive medical treatment, authorities said. Meanwhile, the UAE's Defense Ministry said the country's air defense forces intercepted one ballistic missile and 11 drones launched from Iran on Tuesday. Since Feb. 28, the air defense forces have intercepted 520 ballistic missiles, 26 cruise missiles and 2,221 drones, the ministry added. UNIFIL says Israeli forces briefly detained peacekeeper in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said Tuesday that the Israeli army detained one of its peacekeepers after intercepting a logistical convoy, before releasing him less than an hour later. The mission said in a statement that the peacekeeper was freed following immediate and direct contacts by UNIFIL's senior leadership and liaison branch. UNIFIL condemned the detention as a flagrant violation of international law, stressing that any interference with peacekeepers' duties breaches UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The resolution ended the 2006 Lebanon War and mandates freedom of movement for UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. The mission called on all parties to respect the protected status of peacekeepers and refrain from interfering with their movements under any circumstances. The incident comes amid escalating exchanges of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border and follows a series of recent incidents involving UNIFIL personnel. In late March, three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon. A UN investigation determined that one died when Israeli tank fire struck a UNIFIL position on March 29. The next day, two others were killed when an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle in a logistics convoy near Bani Hayyan. Initial findings pointed to a roadside blast.