A fragile pause has taken hold in the Middle East after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. The deal, announced just hours before US President Donald Trump’s deadline for possible large-scale strikes, is being seen as a temporary reprieve rather than a lasting settlement, with key disagreements still unresolved.
The truce comes after weeks of escalating conflict involving US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, and retaliatory attacks by Tehran across the region. At the centre of the crisis is the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Iran has agreed to reopen the route for commercial shipping during the ceasefire, easing immediate fears of a prolonged economic shock.
