What we know about the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran
Iran and the US have agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire, during which shipping traffic will be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz.
This agreement comes more than a month after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran, and just hours after US President Donald Trump threatened that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" if Iran did not reopen the Strait.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating negotiations, announced early on Wednesday that the ceasefire was effective immediately.
Here is what is known so far about the deal.
What have the US and Iran each said?
President Trump stated that he had agreed to "suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks" if Tehran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and other exports from the Gulf.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump explained that he agreed to the provisional ceasefire because "we have already met and exceeded all military objectives".
This statement followed earlier warnings from Trump that the US could take Iran out "in one night" and that a "whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again"—remarks which drew condemnation from the United Nations chief and Pope Leo XIV.
Iran agreed to allow vessels through the Hormuz Strait for two weeks, with their passage coordinated by the Iranian military.
The country also issued a 10-point plan, which includes, among other points, the complete cessation of war in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen; "full commitment" to lifting sanctions on Iran; the release of Iranian funds and frozen assets held by the US; and a "full payment of compensation for reconstruction costs" to Iran.
The plan further states, "Iran fully commits to not seeking possession of any nuclear weapons".
"Iran's victory in the field would also be consolidated in political negotiations," Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.
According to Sharif, the ceasefire will also take effect in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Israel has supported the deal but clarified that it "does not include Lebanon," renewing strikes on Wednesday in the Tyre and Nabatieh areas in southern Lebanon.
What has Israel said?
Sirens sounded in Israel shortly after Trump's announcement, with the Israel Defense Forces reporting they were intercepting missiles launched from Iran.
Several loud booms were heard in Jerusalem late on Tuesday night.
A few hours after the ceasefire was confirmed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated:
"Israel supports President Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region."
The statement added that the "ceasefire does not include Lebanon," where Israel maintains ground troops.
It remains unclear how involved Netanyahu was in Trump's decision-making process.
What is next?
Pakistan, which has been mediating the negotiations, has invited delegations to meet in Islamabad on Friday "to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged ongoing discussions about in-person talks but stated that "nothing is final until announced by the President or the White House."
Regardless of the format, negotiations are expected to be challenging.
Strikes appeared to continue after the ceasefire was declared, as Kuwait reported Iranian attacks on Wednesday morning that damaged power and desalination plants as well as oil facilities.
"Kuwait air defences have been engaging an intense wave of hostile Iranian attacks, dealing with 28 drones targeting the State of Kuwait," the country's military said in a statement on X.
The US and Iran seem to hold differing interpretations of what the ceasefire entails. Over the past year, the two countries have held two rounds of talks, both of which saw military tensions escalate amid negotiations.
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