U.S., Iran come to last-minute ceasefire agreement, Trump announces

And good evening. We do begin with that breaking news. A last minute deal tonight between the U.S. and Iran to stop the fighting at least temporarily after 38 days of joint U.S. Israeli military operations against Iran known as Operation Epic Fury. That agreement announced this evening by President Trump. Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, that crucial oil shipping lane that has been choked off for weeks, and the U.S. will stop its attacks for at least two weeks. The double-sided ceasefire, as the president calls it, was brokered by Pakistan. After multiple delays, the president had given Iran's leaders until 8 p.m. Eastern to reopen the strait or else threatening attacks on power plants, bridges and more. Let's get a right to senior White House correspondent Weijia Zhang for more on all this and the

absolute latest. Weijia, good evening. Just this morning, the president was threatening to follow through with a massive bombing campaign against Iran. So what changed?

Weijia Zhang, White House Press Secretary Well, Tony, we know that at this hour, President Trump is inside working in the Oval Office. And of course, just a short time ago, he fired off that tweet with the critical announcement. We know that intense talks unfolded throughout the day with the Pakistani prime minister negotiating the ceasefire agreement and Vice President Vance representing the U.S. in those talks. The president made clear that his top priority for any agreement was reopening the Strait

of Hormuz. He said Iran has agreed to the complete, immediate, and safe opening of the Strait, and that's why he agreed to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. As you mentioned, he is calling this a, quote, double-sided ceasefire.

So, Weijia, the details matter here. What happens now?

President Trump says he has received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and he believes it is a workable basis on which to negotiate further, adding that this two-week period will allow the agreement to be finalized. What we don't know, Tony, is whether the president's dire threat remains. Just this morning, of course, he warned that if a deal was not reached to end the war, quote, a whole civilization will die tonight never to be brought back again. He says the U.S. has a plan to bomb Iran's bridges and power plants, which has raised concerns among both Democrats and Republicans because, of

course, that is civilian infrastructure. Tony, we should note that as of this hour though, we have not heard from Israel or from Iran. And the Pakistani prime minister says that more details will come in due course. And the Pakistani prime minister says that more details will come in due course.

All right, Weijia, thank you very much.