Ceasefire Agreement Between US and Iran
The United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire just an hour before the deadline set by former President Donald Trump to destroy Iran was due to expire on Wednesday. Tehran announced it would temporarily reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Both parties declared victory in the conflict that has lasted over a month, disrupting global financial markets and causing oil prices to surge. Trump described the agreement as a "total and complete victory" for the US in an interview with AFP.
Iran also portrayed the ceasefire as a triumph and confirmed plans to engage in talks with Washington starting Friday in Pakistan to explore a resolution to the conflict.
"The enemy has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat in its cowardly, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation," said a statement from the Iranian Supreme National Security Council.
"Iran achieved a great victory."
The White House stated that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire as well; however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified that Lebanon was excluded from the ceasefire. Israeli military actions in Lebanon, in response to rocket attacks by Iranian-backed Hezbollah, have resulted in over 1,500 fatalities according to Lebanese sources.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council conditionally accepted the two-week ceasefire, contingent upon the cessation of attacks against Iran.
Iran’s foreign minister confirmed that passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be permitted for the next two weeks under Iranian military supervision.
Iranian state media reported that negotiations with the US would take place in Islamabad to finalize the agreement details, aiming to "confirm Iran’s battlefield achievements." The talks are scheduled to commence on Friday, 10 April, and may be extended. The media also emphasized that these discussions do not signify the end of the war.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Iran, the US, and their allies had agreed to an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon. Sharif, a key figure in diplomatic efforts between the conflicting parties, invited delegations to Islamabad on "Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes."
Netanyahu welcomed the ceasefire but reiterated that combat operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon are excluded.
Trump stated that Iran had proposed a "workable" 10-point peace plan. Iranian state media outlined that the plan includes conditions previously rejected by the US, such as controlled transit through the Strait of Hormuz coordinated with Iranian armed forces and the withdrawal of all US forces from regional bases. The plan also demands lifting all primary and secondary sanctions, full compensation to Iran, and the release of all frozen Iranian assets.
Additionally, Iranian state media indicated that the 10-point plan requires Washington to accept Iran’s uranium enrichment program, a prior red line for the US.
Despite the ceasefire proposal, missile alerts continued in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Israel.
Israel Clarifies Ceasefire Excludes Lebanon
Israel supports the US decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks but stated that the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday.
The office confirmed Israel’s backing of the US initiative, provided that Tehran immediately reopens the Strait of Hormuz and ceases attacks against the US, Israel, and regional countries.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had extended the ceasefire to include Lebanon.
Since the onset of the conflict, Israeli military operations in Lebanon have resulted in over 1,400 deaths, including 126 children, and displaced more than one million people, according to Lebanese authorities. The renewed Israeli offensive in Lebanon was launched after Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, fired rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli airstrikes.
Israel also expressed support for US efforts to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile, or "terror" threat to the US, Israel, and Iran’s Arab neighbors. The US has assured Israel of its commitment to achieving these shared objectives in forthcoming negotiations. Iran confirmed that talks with the US would begin on Friday, 10 April, in Islamabad.
