By Victoria Cruz
News Writer
On April 7, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire over a month into the conflict. The key condition of this ceasefire is for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, their leverage in negotiations.
The Strait of Hormuz is the most critical chokepoint for trade. Roughly 20-30% of global daily oil consumption passes through the strait according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
“I think the deal looks like it’s a good step in the right direction. Based on the conduct that I have seen from Trump throughout this whole deal, it’s really not conducive of someone who’s supposed to be a leader of one of the largest nations in the world,” business administration major Tom Gilbertie, a senior, said.
Pressure on the United States to take action towards peace increased after President Trump posted on Truth Social, said “A whole civilization will die tonight” in reference to the Iranian people.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stepped up to lead negotiations. The ceasefire was effective the next day. Trump claimed that since all military objectives have been met, the U.S. is now open to negotiations.
Iran put forward a 10-point plan that details their conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The specifics include compensation for reconstruction efforts, complete cessation of war in Iran and neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen and a commitment to lift sanctions in the region.
Israel has agreed to back the deal but said that its conditions cannot extend to Lebanon, where they have been fighting Hezbollah.
After the ceasefire was announced, Pakistan invited leaders from Iran and the U.S. to attend peace talks.
This talk lasted 21 hours according to PBS but did not result in any long-standing agreement to finish the war or reopen the strait.
The U.S., led by Vice President JD Vance in negations, said the main hinderance to peace talks is Iran’s inability to commit to not seeking out nuclear weapons. Tehran has always denied claims that they seek nuclear weapons.
Both Iran and the U.S. have said that despite the initial talk not leading to any concrete conclusion, both sides are willing to keep discussions open.
Trump now said he will issue an immediate blockade of the strait to mitigate Iran’s negotiation power.
He stated that taking control of the strait is the only way to ensure safe transit for ships during negotiations.
“The ceasefire is only in name. The U.S.’ actions have contradicted what Trump posted on social media, and it’s being publicized into a circus. The photo and video evidence of damage to lives and infrastructure in more than one country is astounding because it’s originating from one country,” political science major Abbey Candelora, a senior, said.
Israel surprised the world with an announcement to open negotiations between them and Lebanon.
The states have no formal relations with each other, but Israel hopes to get Lebanon to take responsibility for disarming Hezbollah. After the ceasefire announcement, Israel proceeded to inundate Beirut with airstrikes and killed over 300 people.
April 8 was the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began, according to Human Rights Watch.
The ceasefire will end on April 22 as Pakistan has conveyed the intention to facilitate peace talks.
Students are expressing concerns over how and if the ceasefire will lead to permanent peace in the region.
“I think Americans are just tired of this inconsistent leadership. It’s just emblematic of how he’s been behaving throughout his entire presidency. And we will see how tired Americans are of that in the midterms,” Gilbertie said.
