The United States and Iran reached an eleventh-hour ceasefire deal Tuesday evening, hours after President Donald Trump threatened to start wiping out a “whole civilization” if the Iranians did not allow commercial shipping to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz.

The agreement was announced by Trump in a post on social media hours after Pakistan, a mediator in the dispute, urged Trump to stand down from the 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline he had set for Iran to accede to his demands. Pakistan proposed that each side observe a two-week ceasefire, and that during that time Iran allow oil, gas and other vessels to proceed unmolested through the economically vital waterway.

The ceasefire buys both sides time to try reach a longer-term end to the war, which began at the end of February with the United States and Israel subjecting Iran to a withering military assault.

But earlier, as the day wore on, it was not clear whether an off-ramp would emerge from the talks. It was not even clear if there were talks.

At one point, with Trump threatening devastating strikes on power plants, bridges, and other critical infrastructure — a possible war crime under international law — Iran stopped engaging in the indirect negotiations.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump warned earlier Tuesday, though he said he hoped “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen.”

US, Israel Stepped Up Attacks Earlier Tuesday

In the hours before the 8 p.m. deadline, the United States and Israel stepped up their attacks on Iran. All the while, the Pakistanis were reported to be redoubling their efforts to get a ceasefire.

In urging Trump to hold off, the country’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on social media that diplomatic efforts were “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results.” He also asked Iran to open the waterway for two weeks.

Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said in a social media post Tuesday evening that diplomacy to stop the war had taken a “step forward” from a “critical, sensitive stage.”

But as night fell in the Middle East, Iranians were bracing for the possibility of more strikes. Some formed human chains along bridges and around power plants across the country, videos and photographs posted by state and other local media showed. It’s unclear whether the demonstrations were spontaneous or planned by the government.

Other Iran War News

— Railways struck: The Israeli military said it had launched airstrikes on eight bridges across Iran, and warned Iranians not to ride railroads until 9 p.m. local time. Iranian state media reported that at least three people were killed when a railway bridge was hit in the central city of Kashan.

— Condemnation of Trump’s threat: Some commentators on the right are splitting from Trump, while some Republican lawmakers have expressed concern that the threat could cause the president to lose public support. Democrats forcefully condemned Trump, with a growing number calling for him to be removed from office.

— Death tolls: The Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 1,665 civilians, including 244 children, had been killed in Iran as of Monday. Lebanon’s health ministry on Monday said more than 1,500 people had been killed in the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. In attacks blamed on Iran, at least 50 people have been killed in Gulf nations. In Israel, at least 20 people had been killed as of Monday. The U.S. death toll stands at 13 service members, with hundreds of others wounded.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Tyler Pager, Farnaz Fassihi, David E. Sanger and Eric Nagourney/Arash Khamooshi

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