Israeli shelling reported in south Lebanon after ceasefire remarks Israeli forces shelled the town of Baraachit in southern Lebanon, Al Jadeed TV reported, in an apparent escalation following statements that the US. -Iran ceasefire does not cover the Lebanon front. The reported attack came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the truce excludes fighting with Hezbollah.
Israel says Iran ceasefire agreement doesn’t include war in Lebanon Israel supports the US-announced ceasefire with Iran but says the agreement does not apply to its ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday. The statement said Israel backs President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend strikes for two weeks. It added that the ceasefire is contingent on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks on the United States, Israel and other countries in the region.
Full text of Iran's National Security Council statement on ceasefire Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 04/08/2026 - 04:00 Tehran claims victory, outlines 10-point plan and confirms talks with US in Islamabad Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab Square, in Tehran, on 8 April 2026. STR/AFP Off A ceasefire has opened a narrow window for diplomacy after weeks of escalating conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran and prompted retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region. The fighting disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, and raised fears of a wider regional war.
White House says ceasefire creates opening for long-term peace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the ceasefire marked a victory for the United States, crediting President Donald Trump and the military for creating conditions for diplomacy. She said the US had “achieved and exceeded” its core objectives within 38 days and that “the success of our military created maximum leverage,” opening the door to “a diplomatic solution and long-term peace. ” Leavitt also said Trump had secured the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump announces US pause on Iran strikes for two weeks US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he has agreed “to suspend the bombing" and attacks on Iran for a period of two weeks, calling it a double-sided "ceasefire” tied to Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the decision followed talks with Pakistani leaders and cited a 10-point Iranian proposal as “a workable basis” for negotiations, adding the pause would allow time to finalise an agreement. "Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and 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.
Iran claims ‘historic victory,’ says US accepted terms ahead of talks Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 04/08/2026 - 02:42 Tehran says negotiations will proceed in Islamabad, but warns war is not over A municipal worker gestures near a large political banner at Valiasr Square in Tehran on 6 April 2026. ATTA KENARE / AFP Off Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday said the country has achieved a “historic” victory in the war and forced the United States to accept the framework of a 10-point proposal ahead of planned negotiations, according to a statement. The council said the proposal includes guarantees of non-aggression, continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief, withdrawal of US forces from the region and reparations.
'Double sided ceasefire: Trump announces US pause on Iran strikes for two weeks Submitted by Qazi Zaid on Wed, 04/08/2026 - 02:00 Talks in Islamabad to follow strike pause US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 April 2026 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he has agreed “to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” calling it a “double sided CEASEFIRE” tied to Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the decision followed talks with Pakistani leaders and cited a 10-point Iranian proposal as “a workable basis” for negotiations, adding the pause would allow time to finalise an agreement. "Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and 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.
Iran says talks with US to begin Friday in Islamabad Iran's Supreme Security Council said on Wednesday negotiations with the US would begin on Friday 10 April in Islamabad after it submitted a 10-point proposal to Washington via Pakistan, Iranian state media reported. The talks do not signal the end of the war, the Council added. 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 military forces from regional bases, Iran said.
Iranian 10 point proposal ‘workable basis’, Trump says Trump said the US has received a 10 point proposal from Iran and believes it to be "a workable basis on which to negotiate. " "Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and 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 social media. "This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE," Trump said.
Trump says he has agreed to suspend 'bombing and attack of Iran' for two weeks US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has agreed "to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.
Qatar says four wounded, including a child, by missile debris Qatar's interior ministry said on Wednesday that falling debris from an Iranian missile attack had hurt four people, including a child, as Iran presses an aerial campaign against Gulf states. "Security authorities have begun dealing with an incident resulting from the interception by Qatari air defences of Iranian missiles, which led to debris falling on the home of a citizen in the Muriykh area," the ministry said in a statement, referring to a residential area in the west of Doha. "The incident resulted in the recording of four moderate injuries, including a Qatari child," the statement added.
'Hard to unseat the king': Iran's control of Hormuz may not be end of petrodollar Keeping control of the Strait of Hormuz will be easier for Iran than unseating the dollar's dominance of the global oil trade, despite Tehran’s efforts to dent the greenback’s hegemony, experts say. Iran’s control of the crucial strait has become the focal point of the war, with US President Donald Trump threatening Iran with total annihilation unless it cedes control of the “Fuckin' Strait”. Because roughly 20 percent of the world’s energy passes through the Strait of Hormuz, some experts have said that Iran’s control jeopardises the petrodollar system - in which oil is priced and sold in the dollar by Arab energy producers.
Pakistan requests two-week extension for talks as Trump's Iran deadline nears Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 04/07/2026 - 22:10 White House says Trump is aware of Islamabad's request, as the clock ticks down on Trump's threat to destroy Iranian civilisation US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 April 2026 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP) Off Pakistan issued a last-minute plea for a two-week extension for negotiations to end the war on Iran , as the clock ticks down on US President Donald Trump’s 8 pm EST deadline to destroy the country’s “whole civilization”. "To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on X on Tuesday, as he requested that Iran allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen to all traffic during that time. Experts say that Iran feels it has the upper hand in the conflict, while Trump may be unwilling to back down from a public threat.
'Hard to unseat the king': Iran's control of Hormuz may not be end of petrodollar Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 04/07/2026 - 21:15 US sanctions on Iran and Russia have reduced the dollar's chokehold on oil trade, but Gulf states are unlikely to ditch it Newly redesigned $100 notes are printed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, DC, on 20 May 2013 (Mark Wilson/Getty Images/AFP) Off Keeping control of the Strait of Hormuz will be easier for Iran than unseating the dollar's dominance of the global oil trade, despite Tehran’s efforts to dent the greenback’s hegemony, experts say. Iran’s control of the crucial strait has become the focal point of the war, with US President Donald Trump threatening Iran with total annihilation unless it cedes control of the “Fuckin' Strait”. Because roughly 20 percent of the world’s energy passes through the Strait of Hormuz, some experts have said that Iran’s control jeopardises the petrodollar system - in which oil is priced and sold in the dollar by Arab energy producers.
Turkey, Pakistan foreign ministers hold call on efforts to end Iran war: Report Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with Pakistan Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the Iran war, Turkish foreign ministry sources said.
Exclusive: Staff in Karim Khan's office write in support of his return to ICC Submitted by Imran Mulla on Tue, 04/07/2026 - 14:52 A group purporting to represent the 'silent majority' urges respect for judicial findings on the prosecutor's alleged misconduct International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan attends a press conference at the San Carlos Palace in Bogota, Colombia, on 25 April 2024 (AFP) Off A group of staff members at the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing themselves as the "silent majority", have written to the court’s governing body twice since last week, in support of prosecutor Karim Khan returning to his duties, Middle East Eye can reveal. MEE reported last month that a panel of judges appointed by the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), the ICC’s governing body, concluded that a United Nations investigation had not established any "misconduct or breach of duty" by Khan. But MEE later reported that a majority of ASP members on Wednesday backed a motion to disregard the judges' report, and suggesting that Khan may have committed some form of misconduct.
US lawmakers call to remove Trump after 'civilization will die' threat against Iran Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 04/07/2026 - 18:52 The 25th amendment allows for the ousting of a mentally or physically incapacitated president US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 April 2026 (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Off A slew of Democratic lawmakers are calling for US President Donald Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment - a process by which the vice president and the cabinet assess him as unfit to continue his duties. The statements come as Trump ramps up his stunning rhetoric against Iran, most recently on Tuesday, warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Tehran doesn't agree to a deal with Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as stop its nuclear enrichment and missile production. Trump is vowing to "obliterate" Iran's critical infrastructure, which could include its energy, communications, and water systems, if it doesn't agree to his preconditions for a deal by 8 pm local time in Washington on Tuesday.
Iran positively reviewing Pakistan’s request for a two-week ceasefire: Report Iran is positively reviewing Pakistan’s request for a two-week ceasefire, Reuters is reporting, citing a senior Iranian official.
Pakistan PM seeks two-week extension to Trump's deadline on Iran Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday requested that US President Donald Trump make a two-week extension to a deadline he imposed on Iran to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. "To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture," Sharif said in a post on X.
No military objective justifies destruction of a society’s infrastructure, UN chief says United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres is “deeply troubled” by the statement suggesting that an entire people or civilisation may bear “the consequences of political and military decisions”, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Guterres's comment comes after Trump’s warning to Iran earlier on Tuesday that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t opened. “There is no military objective that justifies the wholesale destruction of a society’s infrastructure or the deliberate infliction of suffering on civilian populations,” Guterres’ spokesman said.
