Nigeria, April 8 -- The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, barely an hour before a deadline set by President Donald Trump for devastating strikes on Iranian infrastructure was set to expire.

The ceasefire has brought to an end, at least temporarily, a war that has killed thousands of people across the Middle East since it began on 28 February. The war started after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes that triggered a sweeping Iranian retaliation.

The ceasefire, brokered through Pakistani mediation, includes a temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil and gas transit routes, which Iran had blockaded since the start of hostilities.

Mr Trump annou...