The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.
After more than a month of blistering attacks by the United States and Israel, Iran cast the ceasefire as a victory and said it had agreed to talks with Washington to begin Friday in Pakistan on a path to end the conflict.
Here are the latest updates following the provisional ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran:
11:30am
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Islamabad would host delegations from the United States and Iran later this week following the Mideast ceasefire announcement.
"I... extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes," he said in a post on X.
Pakistan, which has forged a close relationship with President Donald Trump and is sensitive to developments in neighbouring Iran, emerged as a channel for messaging between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks.
"We earnestly hope, that the 'Islamabad Talks' succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days," Sharif said.
AFP
10:30am
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States will help with traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz, hours after Washington and Tehran agreed to a truce.
The countries agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before Trump's Wednesday deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.
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US President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking during a televised address on the conflict in the Middle East from the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC on April 1, 2026. File photo: AFP
Tehran later said it had agreed to safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil which has been virtually paralysed for weeks by the Middle East war, pushing up prices for crude and related products worldwide.
"The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process."
AFP
9:40am
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before President Donald Trump's Wednesday deadline to obliterate the country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Both sides claimed to have won the more than month-long conflict that has roiled global financial markets and sent oil prices skyrocketing, with Trump telling AFP the deal was a "total and complete victory" for the US.
Iran too cast the ceasefire as a win and said it had agreed to talks with Washington to begin Friday in Pakistan on a path to end 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 said Israel had also agreed to the ceasefire, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it does not include Lebanon, where Israeli assaults in response to rocket fire by Iranian-backed Hezbollah have led to more than 1,500 deaths, according to Lebanese authorities.
AFP
9:00am
Israel said Wednesday that a US-Iran ceasefire deal "does not include Lebanon", which was drawn into the war after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel.
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Smoke rises above Lebanon, following an Israeli strike, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, May 5, 2024. File Photo: Reuters
"The two-weeks ceasefire does not include Lebanon," the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
The statement contradicted an earlier announcement by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has acted as a mediator in the conflict, that said the ceasefire covers "everywhere including Lebanon".
AFP
8:45am
President Donald Trump told AFP on Tuesday that the United States had won a "total and complete victory" after agreeing a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran.
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Photo: Collected
In a telephone call, Trump said he believed China had persuaded Iran to negotiate, and said Tehran's enriched uranium would be "perfectly taken care of."
AFP
8:40am
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday praised the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, calling it a "victory" for the United States.
"This is a victory for the United States that President Trump and our incredible military made happen," Leavitt wrote on X.
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A general view of the White House as U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade returns following a trip to Trump National Golf Club, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 20, 2025. Photo: Reuters
"The success of our military created maximum leverage, allowing President Trump and the team to engage in tough negotiations that have now created an opening for a diplomatic solution and long-term peace."
AFP
8:15am
NATO chief Mark Rutte will hold talks with Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, one day after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
The US president has expressed anger at Western partners' refusal to back his war on Iran, rocking the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte gestures during a press conference to present his 2025 Annual Report, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 26, 2026. Photo: Reuters
He branded NATO partners "cowards" for limiting US forces' access to bases on their territories and for refusing to lead efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz.
But NATO's secretary-general touts a record of pulling Trump back onside -- and will be looking to do so again when he meets the president, as well as US top diplomat Marco Rubio and defense chief Pete Hegseth.
AFP
8:00am
Iran's Supreme Security Council said on Wednesday negotiations with the United States would begin on Friday April 10 in Islamabad after it submitted a 10-point proposal to Washington via Pakistan, Iranian state media reported, adding that talks do not signal the end of the war.
Iran said the talks, which may last up to 15 days and could be extended by agreement, aim to finalise details of the proposal, which includes provisions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief and withdrawal of US combat forces from regional bases.
Reuters
7:30am
Oil prices dived, bonds rallied and stocks surged on Wednesday after a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East spurred a relief rally as investors cheered the possible resumption of oil and gas flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said he agreed to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran for two weeks and that a long-term peace agreement was in progress.
Global markets have been rattled since the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February, leading Tehran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway used to transit one-fifth of the world's oil and gas.
AFP
7:15am
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he agreed to suspend bombing of Iran for two weeks as part of a ceasefire deal if Tehran completely reopens the vital Strait of Hormuz.
"Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," Trump posted just an hour before his deadline to start catastrophic attacks.
AFP
7:00am
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.
After more than a month of blistering attacks by the United States and Israel, Iran cast the ceasefire as a victory and said it had agreed to talks with Washington to begin Friday in Pakistan on a path to end the conflict.
Trump said he had spoken to Pakistan's leaders who "requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran."
"Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed safe passage for two weeks for ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil which Tehran sealed off in retaliation for the war launched on February 28.
"If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations," Araghchi said.
AFP
