US-Iran Ceasefire Announced to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran late Monday, just hours before a self-imposed deadline for escalated military action, in a move aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. The agreement, reached through mediated talks, pauses hostilities contingent on Iran lifting its blockade of the vital waterway, through which about 20 percent of global oil flows.

The ceasefire comes amid a six-week conflict that began in late February with joint U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, the U.S. and Israel have targeted Iranian infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, and petrochemical facilities at the South Pars gas complex, which accounts for a significant portion of Iran's energy exports. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. forces, Israeli targets, and Gulf Arab neighbors, while maintaining the Strait closure, which has driven up oil prices and disrupted global supply chains.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the deal as stemming from a "very productive regime change" in Iran. He stated that the U.S. would work with Iranian officials to...