Ceasefire In Effect
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7. Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Talks begin in Islamabad on Friday, April 10.
The United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire late on Tuesday, suspending 40 days of strikes, missile barrages and threats that had pushed global oil past $115 a barrel and drawn five Gulf nations into the crossfire.
Pakistan brokered the deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi thanked Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his mediation. Trump said the truce was contingent on Iran agreeing to the “complete, immediate and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz. A Greek-owned bulk carrier became one of the first ships to transit the strait after the announcement, though only three vessels left the region on the first day. About 800 ships remain trapped on both sides.
The relief was short-lived.
Iran says it is halting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz after Israel attacked Lebanon, testing fragile ceasefire deal.
Israel Hits Lebanon Hours After the Truce
Israeli forces carried out what the IDF called its “largest coordinated wave of strikes across Lebanon” since Operation Roaring Lion began. Over 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites were hit across Beirut and southern Lebanon. The strikes came without prior warning during Beirut’s evening rush hour.
Israel has just carried out mass airstrikes across Lebanon, over 100 strikes in just 30 minutes, on the very first day of a ceasefire.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported 89 dead and more than 700 wounded. The IDF said it killed Hezbollah’s intelligence chief, Hussain Makled. Early reports suggested the strikes targeted Secretary General Naim Qassem and parliamentary bloc leader Mohammad Raad, though Israeli sources later said Qassem was not at the site.
The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon.
Trump echoed that position on Truth Social: “Lebanon is not part of the deal. Separate skirmish. Will be resolved.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard vowed a “severe response” to the strikes. Tehran informed mediators it would only attend the Islamabad talks if a Lebanon ceasefire was guaranteed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Iran’s 10-Point Demand List
Hours after the truce took effect, Iran published a sweeping list of conditions for a permanent peace deal. The demands went far beyond the immediate conflict.
Iran wants a full stop to fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon. Tehran is demanding continued control over the Strait of Hormuz and formal US acceptance of its uranium enrichment program. The list calls for the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions, the removal of UN Security Council resolutions and IAEA Board of Governors resolutions targeting Iran’s nuclear activities, financial compensation for war damage, and the withdrawal of all American combat forces from the region.
Not good enough. There are complete frauds, charlatans following these negotiations. Only one group of significant points is acceptable to the United States.
Trump rejected most of the published demands through a series of Truth Social posts. He insisted Iran would not be allowed to enrich uranium and said the US would “remove Iran’s buried enriched material.” He also announced a 50 percent tariff on any nation supplying weapons to Iran.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council called the ceasefire an “historic victory.” State media ran the claim that the Americans were “completely destroyed” and that within 10 days of fighting, Washington “knew it could not win.”
Gulf States Report Attacks Despite Truce
Five Gulf nations reported Iranian missile and drone strikes in the hours after the ceasefire announcement. The attacks raised immediate questions about whether the truce would hold.
The UAE said its air defenses intercepted 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones. Kuwait’s defense ministry said 28 drones were dealt with, some targeting oil installations and power stations. Saudi Arabia shot down nine drones and intercepted seven ballistic missiles aimed at its eastern region. Qatar reported seven ballistic missiles and multiple drones, all intercepted. Bahrain activated its warning sirens.
Iranian state television said the attacks were in response to earlier strikes on the Lavan oil refinery and were carried out before the ceasefire took full effect. Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline to Yanbu was hit by Iranian drones. UAE oil facilities were struck as well.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif called on all sides to show restraint. He invited delegations to Islamabad for April 10 to begin formal negotiations toward a conclusive agreement.
What the US Says It Achieved
General Den Caine, commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters the United States had accomplished all three military objectives set by President Trump at the start of the conflict. He did not specify what those objectives were.
Oil markets reacted with cautious relief. US crude dropped from its wartime peak but remained elevated at $115 a barrel. Analysts at CNBC described the situation as offering “market relief but no clear path to lasting peace.”
Russia, meanwhile, continued to profit from the elevated prices. One intelligence assessment cited by OSINTdefender estimated Moscow was earning billions in additional oil revenue from the conflict.
What Comes After Two Weeks
The ceasefire is fragile. Iran has already threatened to reclose the Strait of Hormuz if Lebanon is excluded from negotiations. Israel has made clear it considers Lebanon a separate matter. Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on the same day, a move some analysts read as clearing political space ahead of the talks.
Sharif’s mediation in Islamabad represents the first direct diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran since the war began on February 28. Whether the 10-point demand list is a starting position or a line in the sand will likely become clear by the end of the week.
The world welcomed the truce. Turning it into something lasting is another problem entirely.