Iran agrees to safe passage through Hormuz strait for two weeks 'if attacks halted'

Iran said Wednesday it would guarantee safe passage for maritime traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz for two weeks, announcing that the pause would be used for talks with the United States on ending the war, starting on Friday in Islamabad.

"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," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.

The Islamic republic's Supreme National Security Council said in a separate statement the negotiations were set to last two weeks but could be "extended by mutual agreement of the parties."

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.

After more than a month of blistering attacks by the United States and Israel, Iran said it had agreed to talks with Washington to begin Friday in Pakistan on a path to end the conflict.

Trump said that the United States was "very far along" in negotiating a long-term agreement with Iran, which had submitted a 10-point plan that he said was "workable."

But Iran publicly released points that took maximalist positions including lifting longstanding sanctions, guaranteeing the country's "dominion" over the Strait of Hormuz and removing US forces from the region.

The price of oil quickly fell sharply after Trump's announcement of the ceasefire. Costs at the pump had risen sharply since the war for ordinary Americans, putting heavy political pressure on Trump.

There was no immediate response from Israel, which had encouraged Trump into the war against Iran, whose ruling Shia clerics support anti-Israel armed groups around the Middle East.

Trump had set a deadline to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by 8:00 pm Washington time (midnight GMT), or 3:30 am in Tehran, for Iran.

He had earlier threatened to destroy all power plants and bridges across the country of 90 million people -- a war crime against sites that are primarily of civilian usage.

Trump had also made threats shocking even by his own provocative standards that brought warnings that he was encouraging genocide -- potentially one day leading to war crimes charges against US servicemembers who comply.

Agencies