Global tensions eased significantly last night as Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, averting a potentially catastrophic conflict. This agreement came just hours before the former US President was set to follow through on a severe threat to strike Iran’s infrastructure, which he claimed would result in the destruction of “a whole civilization.”

Trump’s ultimatum had set a hard deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by 8 PM EST (1 AM BST). With less than two hours to spare, the world watched anxiously as the possibility of a military offensive targeting Iranian bridges and power stations loomed large. However, pivotal negotiations ultimately led to a peaceful resolution, at least for the time being.

Efforts to defuse the situation gained momentum around 8:15 PM when Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating between the US and Iran, publicly called on Trump to extend the deadline. In a statement on X, Sharif emphasized the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement in the Middle East and advocated for a two-week ceasefire among all involved parties.

Within that critical hour, both Washington and Tehran were apprised of the proposal and entered into serious discussions. President Trump acknowledged that the negotiations were “heated” but did not provide additional details on their progress. Meanwhile, Iranian officials indicated they were “positively reviewing” the ceasefire request.

Within the hour, both Trump and Tehran were aware of the proposal and had engaged in discussions.

The US President claimed both parties were in ‘heated negotiations’ but declined to say how they were going, while Iran was said to be ‘positively reviewing’ the request. 

Even as the clock ticked closer to 1am, missiles continued to rain down across the Middle East as Israel, the UAE and Qatar were forced to intercept several drones headed for cities within their borders. 

Meanwhile, US bombers were also on the move, as one munitions-loaded aircraft had earlier been spotted flying from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, seemingly on its way to Iran in yet another bombing run. 

President Donald Trump last night extended the deadline for Iran and the US to negotiate an end to the war after threatening to annihilate the country

Munitions sit on trolleys near a B1 Lancer military aircraft at RAF Fairford airbase, hours before Trump’s deadline for unleashing a devastating attack on Iran 

Streaks of light illuminate the sky during an interception attempt, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel

Shortly before 10pm, CNN reported, citing a regional source, that ‘some good news is expected from both sides soon’, adding a deal was expected to close on Tuesday night.

Then, in a dramatic 11th-hour move as his deadline approached, the US President pulled back from the brink following successful negotiations.

At 11.32pm – less than 90 minutes before the cutoff – Trump announced on his Truth social platform that he had agreed to suspend the devastating attack for two weeks if Tehran completely reopened the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr Trump had warned that Iran’s ‘whole civilisation will die’ after the regime showed no sign of backing a ceasefire. But as Pakistan scrambled to broker a ceasefire deal, Mr Trump said Iran had submitted a ten-point proposal to end the war.

In a post on social media, the US President said: ‘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! 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. 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.’

Iran accepted the ceasefire proposal following frantic diplomatic efforts by Pakistan and a last-minute intervention by China, Tehran officials told the New York Times. 

They said the ceasefire was approved by Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and agreed to reopen the Strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, over the next two weeks under coordination from its military.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said negotiations with the US would take place in Islamabad beginning Friday, but warned that talks ‘do not signify the termination of the war’. 

‘Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.’ it added. 

A White House official also said Israel had also agreed to a temporary ceasefire.

Donald Trump had set Iran a deadline to open the vital Strait of Hormuz by 8pm EST or face a devastating assault by the US

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, reportedly signed off on the ceasefire deal, according to the New York Times

An Iranian cluster munition is fired towards Tel Aviv and the surrounding area around 3am local time on April 8 

The last-minute announcement came after the US bombed Kharg Island yesterday and Israel pounded bridges, railways and roads across the Islamic republic as the two allies appeared to be laying the groundwork for a major escalation.

In response, Iran urged ‘all young people, athletes, artists, and university students’ to form ‘human chains’ on its bridges and around its power plants.

Thousands gathered at the sites, as Vice President J D Vance chillingly warned Tehran: ‘We’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use.’ The White House denied Mr Vance was threatening to use nuclear weapons.

Mr Trump had earlier ramped up the pressure with an incendiary post on Truth Social. He wrote: ‘A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.’

Following the ultimatum, he then questioned if ‘maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen’.

In an apparent show of Mr Trump’s intent, the US struck Kharg Island, the regime’s economic lifeline which handles 90 per cent of its oil exports.

They blitzed more than 50 targets, again raising speculation that the US could launch a high-stakes Special Forces mission to seize the territory as leverage in the talks.

As critics called for the President’s removal from office over his bloodthirsty post, Israel also pounded the Islamic republic.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: ‘We are crushing the terrorist regime in Iran with increasing force.’

The IDF struck the Yahya Abad railway bridge in the central city of Kashan, which regime media said killed two people.

The attacks come after the Israeli military warned Iranians against using trains for their safety until 9pm local time.

Rail services were suspended until further notice in Mashhad, Iran’s second city, with officials citing Israel’s ‘immoral warning’.

The regime also asked citizens to form ‘human daisy chains’ around its power plants and posted morbid propaganda videos of citizens linking hands around bases.

Trump looks at Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the official signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement on October 13 last year 

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps responded to the US escalation by warning neighbouring countries that its ‘restraint is over’. 

The US embassy in Bahrain directed all American citizens to remain indoors. The regime struck a petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia while the Houthis, its terror proxy in Yemen, were pictured apparently preparing for military action.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said: ‘More than 14million proud Iranians have so far registered to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran. I too have been, am, and will remain devoted to giving my life for Iran.’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the regime of ‘violating every law known’ with its closure of the strait.

There has been mounting concern that Mr Trump has become ‘unhinged’ after he posted on Sunday: ‘Open the f***in’ Strait, you crazy b*****ds, or you’ll be living in Hell’.

He has also threatened to send Iran ‘back to the Stone Age’ and repeatedly threatened to destroy its power plants – which would likely amount to a war crime.

Responding to his latest threat, Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as the President’s communications director, said: ‘Wake up: he is calling for a nuclear strike. Seek his removal immediately.’

Joe Kent, who resigned as US counter-terrorism chief last month over the war, said: ‘If he attempts to eradicate Iranian civilisation, the United States will no longer be viewed as a stabilising force in the world, but as an agent of chaos – effectively ending our status as the world’s greatest superpower.’

Pope Leo XIV said Mr Trump’s threats against the people of Iran were ‘truly unacceptable’.

Speaking at a papal retreat, the pontiff said: ‘There are certainly issues of international law here, but much more. It’s a moral issue, for the good of the people entirely.’