Trump claims Iranian president has asked for ceasefire

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday on social media that Iran's president "has just asked the United States for a ceasefire."

"We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump said he expects the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began on Feb 28, to end in two to three weeks, though the strikes and Iran's counterstrikes continue across the Middle East and more US troops and warships are being deployed to the region.

In an interview with Reuters on the same day, Trump said that the United States will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" and could return for "spot hits" if needed. The interview took place hours before an "important" update to the nation on the war scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Iran is willing to end the war if guarantees are provided against repeated aggression, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday, stressing that ceasing attacks is the only way to normalize conditions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that messages were exchanged between Iran and the United States through intermediaries over the past few days, but no direct negotiations have taken place.