Trump suspends Iran attack for two weeks if Strait of Hormuz opens

President Donald Trump has announced a suspension of planned strikes against Iran for a two-week period, on the condition that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened for commercial shipping for the same duration. The move follows rapid diplomatic exchanges and is intended to create a short window for talks and verification.

The development followed a proposal from Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who called for a two-week ceasefire and suggested Iran open the strait as a goodwill gesture; Trump publicly acknowledged the arrangement on Truth Social. Officials from the involved parties say technical and monitoring arrangements for the conditional pause are still under negotiation and that on-the-ground verification will be required.

Markets reacted swiftly: oil prices initially eased as the prospect of a reopened Hormuz lowered the geopolitical risk premium, while equity markets trimmed intraday losses as investors anticipated reduced supply disruption risk. Traders warn, however, that any reversal or failure to secure guaranteed shipping corridors could reintroduce significant volatility in energy and risk assets.

In the broader geopolitical context, the move reflects a blend of military pressure and last-minute diplomacy by the U.S. administration, which has repeatedly used deadlines and threats as leverage while remaining open to mediated pauses. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil flows, requires not just an agreement but credible security guarantees from multiple regional actors.

Analysts say the two-week pause could buy time for negotiations but is unlikely to produce a durable settlement unless backed by enforceable security arrangements and third-party verification. Investors and commodity strategists will closely monitor shipping traffic, oil inventories and any formal diplomatic text; failure to meet the reopening condition would likely prompt a rapid reassessment of risk premia across energy and equity markets.