The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday’s events as they unfold.

Ceasefire will begin when Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, White House official tells Axios

A White House official says a ceasefire in the Iran war will come into effect when Tehran opens the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reports after US President Donald Trump posted online that he will suspend Iran’s bombardment for two weeks.

The first round of talks between Washington and Tehran are scheduled to take place on Friday in Islamabad, Axios reports. Pakistan has been acting as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.

NYT: Iran has accepted Pakistan’s 2-week truce proposal, faced pressure from China to do so

Following US President Donald Trump’s announcement, the New York Times quotes three Iranian officials saying that Tehran has accepted Pakistan’s proposal for a two-week ceasefire in the US-Israel war with Iran.

The report says that alongside Pakistan’s push for a ceasefire, China intervened at the last minute “to show flexibility and defuse tensions,” while also noting concerns about the economic fallout if Trump went ahead with his threats of US strikes on Iranian energy sites and key infrastructure.

The Iranian officials cited in the report also say that new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei — who has yet to be seen publicly since being declared as his father’s successor — signed off on the truce.

Israel part of 2-week ceasefire announced by Trump, will halt strikes on Iran amid negotiations

Israel is part of the two-week ceasefire that US President Donald Trump declared and will halt strikes on Iran as diplomatic negotiations are held, two White House officials tell Reuters.

Sirens activated in Jerusalem area amid Iran ballistic missile attack

Sirens are activated in the Jerusalem area and some central Israel communities amid an Iranian ballistic missile attack that was launched right after American President Donald Trump announced a two-week truce in the US-Israel war with Iran.

Trump says US to ‘suspend bombing’ of Iran for 2 weeks as talks held on ‘longterm peace’ deal

US President Donald Trump announces that he is pushing off a major bombing campaign in Iran for two weeks and that Washington has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, subject to Tehran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump writes on Truth Social, less than two hours before his 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to reopen Hormuz and agree to a US proposal for ending the war was set to expire.

“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 writes

“We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” he adds.

“On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution,” Trump says.

The announcement marks the fourth time Trump has pushed back his threat to bomb Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure sites if it doesn’t agree to his demands.

He first gave Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on March 21 and has since pushed back that deadline by five days, ten days and one day respectively.

Trump’s post doesn’t mention whether the ceasefire covers Israel, which has reportedly been cautioning the US against halting strikes in Iran.

Saudi Arabia says aerial defenses intercepted 5 ballistic missiles amid Iran attacks

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry says its military had intercepted five missiles fired towards the kingdom’s east while Iran presses an aerial campaign against its neighbors.

The ministry’s spokesperson announces the “interception and destruction of five ballistic missiles launched towards the eastern region,” after overnight attacks the previous day hit a petrochemical complex in the eastern city of Jubail.

White House: ‘Iran’s decades of terrorism won’t continue’

After Pakistan requested a two week ceasefire and asked US President Donald Trump to extend the deadline he gave to Tehran, the White House writes on X that “Iran’s decades of terrorism won’t continue under President Trump.”

The statement is accompanied by a graphic that states “47 years of corruption, extortion, and death, will finally end.”

Earlier the White House said of the proposal from Pakistan that “a response would come” from Trump.

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