Donald Trump is reportedly considering a request for a two-week ceasefire as the deadline issued to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz edges ever closer.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier pleaded with Mr Trump to “extend the deadline” in order for talks to progress and to allow “diplomacy to run its course”. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios the US President had been made aware of the proposal of a two-week pause from Pakistan, saying “a response will come”. Earlier today, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to warn a “whole civilisation” could “die tonight” if Iran failed to comply with his demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He had set Iran a deadline of 8pm ET tonight (1am BST Wednesday) to make a deal with the US or else face “living hell”. On Tuesday evening, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged Mr Trump to extend the deadline.
He wrote on X: “Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future.
“To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks.
“Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture.
“We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region.”
Iran had earlier launched a furious outburst, warning Trump the country has “prepared a black hole for him from which it will be impossible for him to get out”.
Responding to a question from the Tasnim News Agency about Iran’s responses to the US President possibly targeting power plants and other centers, an informed military source noted: “Trump’s threats are more due to his desperation and helplessness and Iran’s authority in the field than to his initiative and power.
“But if Trump wants to fall from one hole to another with his madness, we have prepared a black hole for him from which it will be impossible for him to get out.”
He added: “We have prepared some nice surprises for Trump’s possible madness; one of them is the addition of Aramco oil facilities, Yanbu oil facilities, and the Fujairah pipeline to Iran’s targets, and in the event of Trump’s crime, Iran will not hesitate to impose heavy costs on the United States and its partners.”
