Iran’s Supreme Leaderย Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday adopted a cautious approach to the ceasefire with the US, ordering all its military units to stop firing, but keep their hands on the trigger, as this “will not be the end of the war”.
In a statement broadcast on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Khamenei said the conflict is ongoing, but all branches of the military must comply with the ceasefire order and halt operations.
At the same time, Iran issued a strong warning, stressing that its forces remain on high alert. It said the ceasefire should not be interpreted as a conclusion to the war, and that its โhands remain on the triggerโ in case of any action by the United States or Israel.
In a separate statement following the ceasefire announcement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said, “It is emphasised that this does not signify the termination of the war… Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”
Iran’s conditions for ceasefire with US
The United States has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, a proposal put forward by Pakistan, as announced by Donald Trump just 90 minutes before his stated deadline to launch a major attack on the West Asian nation.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Tuesday evening US time, amid criticism from Democrats who had called for his removal over remarks about destroying Iranian civilisation.
โI agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,โ Trump said, adding that the ceasefire would be mutual.
In Tehran, Iranโs Supreme National Security Council confirmed it had accepted the two-week ceasefire and stated that it would enter negotiations with the United States in Islamabad starting Friday.
In Islamabad, Pakistanโs Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited delegations from both countries to meet on April 10 to continue talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said discussions about in-person talks are ongoing, but no final decisions have been made.
Trump also stated that the United States had received a 10 point proposal from Iran, which he described as a workable foundation for negotiations. He added that the two-week ceasefire period would be used to pursue a broader agreement that could potentially bring the conflict to an end.