Less than two hours before the 8 p.m. Eastern deadline he imposed, President Donald Trump announced that he is holding off on his threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” for two weeks.

His statement, which came with the caveat that Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, also said that Iran presented a “10-point proposal” that is “workable.” The Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that serves as a channel for transporting oil and gas, is controlled by Iran and is integral to the global economy.

“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 in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. “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.”

Shortly after, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed that it had agreed to the two-week ceasefire.

“It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” Iran’s statement said, according to The Associated Press. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

As part of the 10-point proposal, Iran will allow for “regulated passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, the AP reported.

The news comes after Trump made a jarring threat against Iran earlier in the day.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social, essentially threatening genocide if the Strait of Hormuz wasn’t open by 8 p.m. Eastern time.

On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel began Operation Epic Fury, relentlessly bombarding Iran. Though contradictory or nonsensical statements from Trump are nothing new, Trump has made numerous conflicting remarks about the war and the U.S.’s objectives in Iran.

He has also backtracked on the deadlines he has imposed and his corresponding threats multiple times. Experts have said that destroying Iran’s civilian infrastructure, as Trump has threatened to do, would be a war crime.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump wrote on social media on Sunday.

He made a similar threat on March 21, demanding that the Strait be “FULLY OPEN” in 48 hours, or the U.S. would “obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

But on March 23, he shelved those plans, saying the U.S. had “had productive” discussions with Iran. He announced another 10-day postponement, “pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction” beginning on March 26, after the stock market dropped.

On April 1, Trump said the strait needed to be “open, free and clear” for a ceasefire to be implemented. “Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!

Congress, which is on Easter recess, has largely remained quiet on the war and Trump’s recent genocidal threat.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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