Breaking: Trump Announces Intense U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Talks Amid Two-Week Negotiation Period

Donald Trump has announced that he is engaged in intense negotiations with Iran in an effort to secure a two-week ceasefire, as a U.S. deadline that includes the threat of striking civilian infrastructure looms at 8 PM ET.

Trump has been informed about a ceasefire proposal facilitated by Pakistan, which is acting as an intermediary between the U.S. and Iran.

According to a senior Iranian official, Tehran is seriously considering Pakistan’s appeal for a temporary ceasefire, as reported by Reuters.

The President has issued a warning to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities and bridges, unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump declined to provide details about the proposal, saying, “I can’t comment, because right now we’re in heated negotiations.”

Any extension would mark the fourth time Trump has shifted the goalposts since he first threatened to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants on March 21. 

Trump posted on Truth Social this morning: ‘A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.’ 

Republican lawmakers warned that striking civilian infrastructure would be a grave mistake and a war crime under the Geneva Convention. 

Trump during a press conference in the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 6

Central Command’s Adm. Brad Cooper revealed hundreds of US drones (pictured) have been striking Iran

Streaks of light illuminate the sky during an interception attempt, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, April 7

Streaks of light illuminate the sky during an interception attempt, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, April 7

Senator Ron Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, said: ‘I think it would be a huge mistake. I mean, he loses me if he attacks civilian targets. Whatever we do has to be within the laws of warfare.’ 

‘We’re all hoping and praying – what we’re praying for is for the ayatollahs to capitulate,’ Johnson told the Wall Street Journal. 

Democratic lawmakers have gone further, calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, which would strip Trump of his powers if he is deemed to be suffering a medical crisis. 

Representative Ilhan Omar posted on X: ‘This is not ok. Invoke the 25th amendment. Impeach. Remove. This unhinged lunatic must be removed from office.’

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on Trump and the Iranian regime to accept the ceasefire. 

‘To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture,’ he said.

‘We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region.’

Even before the deadline expired, airstrikes had already hit two bridges and a train station. American forces also struck military infrastructure on Kharg Island for the second time, a key hub for Iranian oil production. 

Israel’s military warned of an increased risk of inbound attacks as Trump’s deadline approached. 

Blasts were heard in the Qatari capital Doha, while the UAE said its air defenses were responding to missile threats. 

Bahrain’s main port said it was suspending operations early Wednesday as the deadline is set to kick in.

Iran has warned that it will take ‘immediate and proportionate’ action if Trump follows through on his threats to attack the country. 

Tehran’s United Nations representative, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said Trump’s threats ‘constitute incitement to war crimes and potentially genocide.’

Facing the threat of devastating military strikes, terrified civilians told the Daily Mail they are frantically evacuating major cities and saying goodbye to loved ones.

The defiant government has meanwhile been placing human shields at infrastructure sites, with video showing civilians including women and children waving flags at power plants and on bridges. 

Iranians gathered at infrastructure sites including bridges and power plants as they taunted Trump’s message of annihilation 

Video showed women and children waving flags as chanting blared on a loudspeaker at a power plant

The US hit dozens of military targets on Kharg Island, a crucial Iranian oil export hub, overnight

US Navy fighter jets take off from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Operation Epic Fury

Trump said he would target power plants and civilian bridges 

One Iranian says he and his family have already stocked up on water and supplies, fearing US strikes and the regime’s response. 

‘They are very stressed,’ he told the Daily Mail, ‘but at the same time, if this war ends now, it would literally be a living hell – because the government would retaliate.’

The call to gather at infrastructure sites came directly from an Iranian official, captured in an Associated Press video clip.

Speaking in Farsi, he urged ‘youth, athletes, artists, students and professors’ to assemble at power plants the following day at 2pm local time, arguing that their presence would expose any American strike as a war crime. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do.’

‘The Iranian regime has until 8pm Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States,’ she added.