How Trump has threatened, and postponed, attacks against Iran
President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 7, about 90 minutes before his 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or have its energy and transportation systems destroyed.
"I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," Trump said in a statement on social media.
The ceasefire announcement marks the fourth time Trump has moved back a deadline set against Iran since the war began Feb. 28.
The April 7 agreement came nearly 11 hours after Trump escalated his threats against Iran to include obliteration: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he posted at 8:06 a.m. EDT.
How Trump threatened, and postponed, strikes on Iran
- March 21: Trump gives Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and says Iranian power grid will be attacked if the regime doesn’t comply.
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- March 23: Trump postpones the threatened strikes for five more days until March 28.
- March 26: Trump extends the postponement to April 6, an increase of 10 more days.
- April 4: On social media, Trump says Iran has 48 hours (until April 6) before “all Hell will reign down.”
- April 5: On Easter Sunday, Trump posts a threat with expletives, saying “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.” Tuesday is April 7.
- April 7: Trump announces two-week ceasefire with Iran.
Trump said the April 7 ceasefire agreement will hinge on Iran allowing oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway used to ship much of the world's oil.
"This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! 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," Trump posted.
Israel will be part of the ceasefire if Iran opens the strait, a White House official told USA TODAY. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in a statement said the country will observe the ceasefire "if attacks on Iran are halted."
CONTRIBUTING Michael Loria, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Christopher Cann, Francesca Chambers and Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters
This story was updated to add President Trump's April 7 cease fire post.