Trump resets the clock on Iran
The Hill
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, April 8 | By Jared Gans
President Trump has reset the timer on his threats to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” after Tehran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks in exchange for a temporary pause in U.S. and Israeli attacks.
With less than two hours remaining before his 8 p.m. ET deadline last night, Trump announced the delay, touting progress in negotiations that he said would soon bring hostilities to an end.
“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,” the president said in a post on Truth Social. “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,” he added.
Trump said his agreement followed conversations with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. He said the deal is subject to Iran agreeing to the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING” of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a statement on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council agreeing to the terms.
“If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations,” he said.
Araghchi said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible through coordination with Iran’s armed forces and with consideration of “technical limitations.”
While the White House touted the deal as a victory, Middle East experts said Trump seems to have handed a major win to Iran without gaining any long-term commitments in return.
“The most important sentence in Trump's ceasefire post is that the ensuing negotiations will be based on the Iranian 10-point proposal (and not Trump's 15 points),” said Trita Parsi, the co-founder of the Quincy Institute on Responsible Statecraft, in a post on social platform X.
Iran’s 10-point plan reportedly includes the U.S. lifting all sanctions it has placed on the country, allowing Iran to charge $2 million per oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, guarantees that Iran would not be attacked again and reconstruction funding.
It does not include Iran giving up its remaining weapons-grade nuclear material, a key demand of many Iran hawks. It would also keep the Islamic regime intact.
“In the best case scenario, Trump struck a deal to reopen a Strait that was open before the pointless war he started, with the IRGC demonstrating its control over the Strait and potentially extracting fees plus sanctions relief,” Ben Rhodes, a former top Obama administration foreign policy staffer, wrote on X Tuesday night.
The news was met with tepid optimism by European leaders who have been increasingly critical of U.S.-Israeli operations in Iran.
“Ceasefires are always good news. Especially if they lead to a just and lasting peace. But this momentary relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a staunch critic of the war.
“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket. What’s needed now: diplomacy, international legality, and PEACE.”
Israel was reportedly sidelined in the talks, and the blowback on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was swift.
“There has never been such a political disaster in all of our history. Israel wasn't even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security,” Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote online Tuesday evening.
“The military carried out everything that was asked of it, the public demonstrated amazing resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn't meet a single one of the goals that he himself set,” he added.
Tehran and Washington remain far apart in terms on a long-term peace deal.
Trump on Monday said Iran's 10-point proposal was a “significant step” but “not good enough” for him to back off from his threats to launch attacks on power plants and bridges.
Iran also rejected the U.S.’s 15-point plan as “unrealistic.” That plan reportedly includes a rollback on Iran’s nuclear program and limits on its missiles.
Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, invited the two sides to Islamabad on Friday to begin negotiations on “a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are scheduled to deliver a press briefing this morning at 8 a.m. ET. It comes after a briefing scheduled for Tuesday morning was canceled ahead of Trump's deadline.
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, April 8 | By Jared Gans
President Trump has reset the timer on his threats to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” after Tehran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks in exchange for a temporary pause in U.S. and Israeli attacks.
With less than two hours remaining before his 8 p.m. ET deadline last night, Trump announced the delay, touting progress in negotiations that he said would soon bring hostilities to an end.
“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,” the president said in a post on Truth Social. “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,” he added.
Trump said his agreement followed conversations with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. He said the deal is subject to Iran agreeing to the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING” of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a statement on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council agreeing to the terms.
“If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations,” he said.
Araghchi said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible through coordination with Iran’s armed forces and with consideration of “technical limitations.”
While the White House touted the deal as a victory, Middle East experts said Trump seems to have handed a major win to Iran without gaining any long-term commitments in return.
“The most important sentence in Trump's ceasefire post is that the ensuing negotiations will be based on the Iranian 10-point proposal (and not Trump's 15 points),” said Trita Parsi, the co-founder of the Quincy Institute on Responsible Statecraft, in a post on social platform X.
Iran’s 10-point plan reportedly includes the U.S. lifting all sanctions it has placed on the country, allowing Iran to charge $2 million per oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, guarantees that Iran would not be attacked again and reconstruction funding.
It does not include Iran giving up its remaining weapons-grade nuclear material, a key demand of many Iran hawks. It would also keep the Islamic regime intact.
“In the best case scenario, Trump struck a deal to reopen a Strait that was open before the pointless war he started, with the IRGC demonstrating its control over the Strait and potentially extracting fees plus sanctions relief,” Ben Rhodes, a former top Obama administration foreign policy staffer, wrote on X Tuesday night.
The news was met with tepid optimism by European leaders who have been increasingly critical of U.S.-Israeli operations in Iran.
“Ceasefires are always good news. Especially if they lead to a just and lasting peace. But this momentary relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a staunch critic of the war.
“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket. What’s needed now: diplomacy, international legality, and PEACE.”
Israel was reportedly sidelined in the talks, and the blowback on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was swift.
“There has never been such a political disaster in all of our history. Israel wasn't even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security,” Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote online Tuesday evening.
“The military carried out everything that was asked of it, the public demonstrated amazing resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn't meet a single one of the goals that he himself set,” he added.
Tehran and Washington remain far apart in terms on a long-term peace deal.
Trump on Monday said Iran's 10-point proposal was a “significant step” but “not good enough” for him to back off from his threats to launch attacks on power plants and bridges.
Iran also rejected the U.S.’s 15-point plan as “unrealistic.” That plan reportedly includes a rollback on Iran’s nuclear program and limits on its missiles.
Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, invited the two sides to Islamabad on Friday to begin negotiations on “a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are scheduled to deliver a press briefing this morning at 8 a.m. ET. It comes after a briefing scheduled for Tuesday morning was canceled ahead of Trump's deadline.
