Bombings, threats, and last-minute phone calls: How events unfolded hours before Trump's 2-week Iran war ceasefire

The United States and Iran reached a ceasefire deal on Tuesday evening (US time), hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to start wiping out Iran’s “whole civilisation” if it did not allow vessels to pass safely through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Trump announced the ceasefire in a social media post. Hours before the announcement, Pakistan, a mediator in the West Asia war, urged Trump to stand down from the 8 pm Eastern time (5:30 am IST on Wednesday) deadline he had set for Iran to accede to his demands.

Trump said he agreed to Pakistan's proposal, which calls for a two-week ceasefire and the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Over the next two weeks, Trump said the United States will work to finalise an agreement with Iran.

Pakistan proposed that each side observe a two-week ceasefire and that, during that time, Iran allow oil, gas and other vessels to proceed unmolested through the economically vital waterway.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it had accepted a two-week ceasefire in the war. In a statement, the council said it would begin negotiations with the United States in Islamabad on Friday.

“It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” the Council warned. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

'Whole civilisation will die tonight'

In the threat before the ceasefire, Trump warned on Tuesday morning, “a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran refused to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Democrats condemned Trump’s comments, joined by some “Make America Great Again” supporters who have broken with him, and by the first American-born Pope. Some Republican lawmakers voiced concern that the threat could cause the president to lose public support, The New York Times reported.

In fact, more than a quarter of congressional Democrats have already called for Trump’s removal from office, either through impeachment or by his cabinet stripping him of power through the 25th Amendment, the NYT reported.

Many raised concerns about the president’s soundness of mind and said his post to social media threatening widespread civilian destruction was evidence that he was not mentally fit to hold office, the newspaper said.

When did the war start?

It's been six weeks since the West Asia war began with joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Tensions escalated following the killing of 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the military strikes on 28 February.

In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries, impacting international energy markets as well as global economic stability and disrupting trade through the Strait of Hormuz.

On 3 April, Iran shot down a US Air Force F-15E fighter jet. The jet was carrying two crew members; US forces rescued one of them the same day. The search-and-rescue operation for the second airman lasted two days and took commandos deep inside Iran. The downing of the F-15E was the first time that a US combat aircraft was shot down in the war.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, as per a NYT report, said at least 1,665 civilians, including 244 children, had been killed in Iran as of Monday. Lebanon’s health ministry on Monday reported more than 1,500 deaths in the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Regional attacks blamed on Iran killed at least 32 people in the Gulf nations.

Israel reported at least 20 deaths as of Monday. The US military confirmed 13 service members killed and hundreds more wounded.

Iran's Supreme Security Council had submitted a 10-point proposal to the US via Pakistan. Iran’s explanation of the 10-point plan included its claim that the Strait of Hormuz would be subject to “regulated passage ... under the coordination of the Armed Forces of Iran.” It added that it would be “thereby conferring upon Iran a unique economic and geopolitical standing.” It would also receive full sanctions relief.

Attacks on the synagogue, infra

Hours before the ceasefire, the United States and Israel struck key infrastructure in Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying attacks hit railways and bridges allegedly used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Israeli military also offered a rare statement of regret after it acknowledged damaging a synagogue in Tehran, saying it had been targeting a senior Iranian commander. Iran is home to around 100 synagogues belonging to its centuries-old Jewish minority.

Infrastructure attacks reported by Iranian authorities on Tuesday included a US-Israeli strike on a bridge outside the city of Qom and another on a rail bridge in central Iran that killed two people. Iran has retaliated with weeks of drone and missile attacks on Gulf Arab states, citing their role as hubs for US troops.

Qatar said early Wednesday that four people were hurt by falling missile debris, including a child. AFP reporters also heard explosions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates said they responded to missile threats.

Two civilians, one of them an eight-year-old child, were killed in Baghdad when a projectile crashed into their home, police told AFP.

(With agency inputs)