The US and Iran agree to a 2-week ceasefire but some attacks continue

The U.S. and Iran reached a temporary ceasefire, with Israel saying it supports the agreement but is continuing its assault on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon. Several Gulf Arab countries also reported some attacks, in an early test of the truce.

The fragile ceasefire raised hopes it might eventually lead to an end of more than five weeks of war in the region, coming moments before the threat of a major U.S. escalation: President Donald Trump's Tuesday night deadline for Iran to reach a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz or else face total destruction.

Trump hailed the agreement early Wednesday as "a big day for World Peace!"

As Trump pledged the U.S. would help free up the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for the world's fuel and goods that Iran has largely blocked during the war, global investors breathed a sigh of relief, markets surged and crude oil prices plunged.

Protesters in opposition to the war with Iran gather outside of Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

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In another morning social media post, Trump said the U.S. will work with Iran to "dig up and remove" Iranian nuclear material he said is buried after U.S. bombings.

The president also warned the U.S. would slap an immediate 50% tariff on imports from any country supplying weapons to Iran.

Here are more updates from the region:

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Iran reaction | Dispute over Hezbollah | Israel reaction| Shelly Kittleson freed

Iranian leaders hail ceasefire as victory

Iranian leaders are also touting the ceasefire as a victory, noting that the "criminal U.S." has agreed to "the general framework" of Iran's 10-point proposal.

"Good news to the dear nation of Iran! Nearly all the objectives of the war have been achieved," the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

Iran officials warned that any deviation from the agreement could lead to future violence.

"Our hands are on the trigger, and the moment the enemy makes the slightest mistake, it will be met with full force," the Supreme National Security Council said.

Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif for his role in the negotiations.

A vendor displays morning newspapers at his roadside stall in Islamabad on Wednesday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the United States, Iran and their allies had agreed to a ceasefire "everywhere," including Lebanon, following mediation by his government to stop weeks of fighting.

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"If attacks against Iran are halted our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations," Araghchi said in a statement. He added: "For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."

Israel disputes ceasefire over Hezbollah in Lebanon

Just hours after the pause in violence was announced there appeared to be disagreement over who would be granted a reprieve from the strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement Wednesday morning that it supports Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but that the ceasefire doesn't include Lebanon, despite Pakistan's prime minister saying otherwise.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it insists the U.S.-Iran ceasefire includes Lebanon. But it said "if the Israeli enemy does not adhere" to it, then "no party will commit to it, and there will be a response from the region, including Iran."

As of Wednesday morning, it appears Hezbollah is holding fire. But there have been several Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and fresh evacuation orders by the Israeli military for parts of Beirut and the country's south.

Many of the more than a million people displaced by Israel's invasion for more than 6 weeks readied to go back home, after the ceasefire announcement, but were told by Lebanese authorities to stay put as it was still unsafe, following Netanyahu's statement. Lebanese state media said there have also been airstrikes in Tyre and on Hezbollah-affiliated paramedics, and Israeli artillery attacks on several villages across the south. Israel has also issued fresh evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs.

A man flashes the V-sign while driving a vehicle loaded with belongings through the al-Qassimyah area en route to southern Lebanon early on April 8, 2026, after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Israel renewed its strikes on southern Lebanon on April 8, state media reported, as the Israeli prime minister insisted the Iran war truce does not include Lebanon.

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Israel opposition slams Netanyahu

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid blasted the ceasefire on social media, saying, "there has never been such a political disaster in our entire history." He criticized Netanyahu for not being a party to the ceasefire agreement, adding that Netanyahu "failed to meet a single one of the goals he set for himself."

Netanyahu and Trump spoke on the phone before Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A projectile is seen moments before hitting a building during an Israeli airstrike in the area of Abbasiyeh, on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, on April 8, 2026.

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It's still unclear where negotiations stand regarding Iran's assertion that it can continue its enrichment of uranium. In his statement, Netanyahu said Israel "supports U.S. efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear or missile threat."

A senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told reporters in a statement that the U.S. has assured Israel that it will insist on the removal of enriched uranium from Iran, an end to further enrichment, and "the elimination of the ballistic missile threat" during future negotiations.

American journalist Kittleson is freed

Freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson has been released a week after she was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Iraqi militant group.

"We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq," Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement on X on Tuesday evening.

Kittleson, 49, has spent over a decade covering the Middle East, according to Columbia Journalism Review. She was captured by the militia group on March 31, in broad daylight on a Baghdad street corner. Her release was a multi-agency effort, according to Rubio.

U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a cellphone photo in a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, March 30.

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"The U.S. Department of State extends its appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of War, U.S. personnel across multiple agencies, and the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council and our Iraqi partners, for their assistance in securing her release," Rubio said.

He added: "Under President Trump, the wrongful detention or kidnapping of U.S. nationals will not be tolerated. We will continue to use every tool to bring Americans home and to hold accountable those responsible."

Kataib Hezbollah, one of Iraq's most powerful Shia paramilitaries, announced earlier on Tuesday that it was releasing Kittleson in appreciation of "the patriotic positions" of Iraq's prime minister, who helped negotiate her release. It said she had to leave the country immediately.

The group in Iraq is not related to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. It's part of a coalition of Iran-backed militias that have been attacking U.S. military and government targets in Iraq. The U.S. and Israel have launched airstrikes in response.

When Kittleson was kidnapped last week, the U.S. State Department said it had warned her of threats against her beforehand, and that it was working with the FBI to secure her release. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has said all American citizens should leave Iraq because of attacks.

Lauren Frayer in Beirut, Daniel Estrin and Carrie Kahn in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan contributed to this report.
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