The United States will be “hangin’ around” in the Strait of Hormuz to “make sure that everything goes well” as the strategic waterway opens up following the declaration of a Middle East ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday. Everyone has “had enough” of war and it is time for peace, U.S. President Donald Trump declared overnight after Iran pledged to observe an 11th-hour temporary ceasefire. The ceasefire announcement surfaced about an hour before Trump’s Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or see its civilisation destroyed in a hail of bombs. Writing on his Truth Social platform, President Trump hailed the economic opportunities of flowing trade and post-war reconstruction, stating: “There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds… Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East”.
The ceasefire is intended to be time-limited to two weeks, giving the sides breathing space for reported in-person talks to settle the needs and demands of those involved. Iran has reportedly put forward a ten-point negotiation position and the U.S. its own 15-point plan. What precisely is in these plans is unclear. The U.S. 15-point document has been on the table for weeks, but what precisely it contains is unclear. Iranian state media has published a precis of their own 10-point plan but several versions with distinct differences in content exist, and it is by no means clear these points are actually the same as what was sent privately to U.S. negotiators through Pakistan.
