Trump called off his Iran bombing with 90 minutes to spare, and the country that stopped it wasn’t Israel, the UK, or any NATO ally

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social at 6:32 PM US Eastern time on Tuesday that he was suspending his planned bombing of Iran, just 90 minutes before his 8 PM deadline. This came after he had warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not comply with his demands. Minutes after his post went live, air raid sirens began sounding across Israel as missile strikes followed.

Trump credited Pakistan for brokering the pause, specifically naming Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. The suspension came with one key condition: Iran had to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump wrote, “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.”

Pakistan’s last-minute diplomacy may have prevented a major escalation in the Middle East

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the tentative agreement and thanked Pakistan for its last-minute intervention. He wrote, “If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations.”

Araghchi added that “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council suggested the ceasefire could be extended if negotiations progress well, with further talks expected in Islamabad.

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israel faced a wave of incoming strikes almost immediately. According to Mediaite, a reporter live from Tel Aviv described alerts hitting phones within minutes of Trump’s post, with the first Iranian missile intercepted and its shrapnel landing outside Jerusalem.

He then described “cluster bombs” exploding over Tel Aviv, comparing them to fireworks that broke apart before detonating. By the time of his report, seven inbound missiles had been counted, and one missile fired from the south, attributed to the Houthis, reportedly failed mid-flight.

Israel has reportedly agreed to the ceasefire, though no official statement has been issued. Israeli officials were said to be unhappy with Iran’s ten-point proposal, feeling that more military objectives should have been achieved before any pause. However, they acknowledged the decision was Trump’s to make and said they would follow the ceasefire terms. Trump had previously set a firm final deadline for Iran before Pakistan stepped in to mediate.

This conflict began on February 28 with a joint military offensive by Israel and the United States against Iran. Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued it was necessary to eliminate Iran as a regional threat and prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Many legal experts, however, have described the offensive as an unprovoked attack and a violation of international law.

The human cost has been significant. Nearly 2,076 people have been killed in Iran, with 28 more deaths in nearby Gulf states. The US has lost 13 military members, and 26 people have been killed in Israel. Economically, Iran’s moves to restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas flows, caused fuel prices to rise sharply worldwide, drawing domestic criticism toward Trump even from his conservative base.

His wider strategy around the Strait of Hormuz has drawn significant scrutiny over its economic consequences. Experts are now questioning how durable this ceasefire will be, particularly regarding Israel’s compliance. Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft said the US has the ability to restrain Israel, but that doing so could carry a political cost for Trump.

Parsi stated, “I don’t think that these Israelis actually can sustain themselves in a war with Iran without active American support. And if they’re doing it against American wishes, then, obviously, they would take a huge risk of seeing potentially the United States stay out of that war.”

He concluded, “The Israelis facing Iran alone is not a scenario that they want to be in.” Trump, for his part, declared victory, calling it a “double sided CEASEFIRE” and writing, “Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran.”