Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region.

"Israel also supports the US effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat to America, Israel, Iran's Arab neighbors and the world," the statement from Prime Minister's office read.

"The United States has told Israel that it is committed to achieving these goals, shares by the US, Israel and Israel's regional allies, in the upcoming negotiations.The two-weeks ceasefire does not include Lebanon," it added.

Since the war began in the Middle East on February 28, Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran, announcing deadline delays and proclamations that the negotiations were going well.

He had initially threatened Tehran on March 21 to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST," he posted on Truth Social.

However, 12 hours before the deadline, Trump said that the US and Iran had "very good and productive" conversations toward concluding the conflict, which erupted on February 28 with deadly US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.

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.

"From the very beginning of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump estimated this would be a 4-6 week operation. Thanks to the unbelievable capabilities of our warriors, we have achieved and exceeded our core military objectives in 38 days," Leavitt wrote on X. 

Now that the Stratit of Hormuz will be reopened for the US, Leavitt credited Trump for this feat and said, "Never underestimate President Trump’s ability to successfully advance America’s interests and broker peace."
 

US President Donald Trump told AFP on Tuesday he believed China had helped get Iran to the negotiating table to agree a two-week ceasefire deal.

"I hear yes," Trump said in a telephone call when asked if Beijing was involved in getting key ally Tehran to negotiate on a truce.

Trump is due to travel to Beijing in May to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

US President Donald Trump told AFP on Tuesday that Iran's uranium would be "perfectly taken care of" under a two-week ceasefire deal with Tehran.

"That will be perfectly taken care of or I wouldn't have settled," Trump said in a telephone interview when asked about what would happen to Iran's enriched uranium. 

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.

"Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it," Trump said in a brief telephone interview shortly after the announcement of the truce.

The FBI warned US state and local law enforcement of an elevated threat posed by Iran's government to targets in the United States last month even as the White House sought to downplay the likelihood of an attack, a law enforcement intelligence report reviewed by Reuters shows.

In the March 20 report, the FBI and other federal intelligence agencies cautioned that Iranian government "poses a persistent threat" to US military and government personnel and buildings, Jewish and Israeli institutions, and Iranian dissidents in the US Despite those warnings, the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center had not identified broad threats to the American public, the report said.

Brent crude fell sharply to $95.068 per barrel (from $109.77) on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week pause in strikes on Iran. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also fell by nearly $20 per barrel after the announcement.

New Zealand welcomes the announcements by the United States and Iran over the past few hours, said Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters. 

"We welcome all efforts to bring an end to this conflict," he said, adding that his country will support all efforts to bring about a "lasting, durable end to this conflict."

Peters also thanked Pakistan, Turkiye and Egypt, for working towards finding a solution. 

According to a statement issued by Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Tehran emphasised fundamental points such as:

The White House is reportedly considering in-person talks with Iran but they have not been finalised.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited Iran and US to Islamabad for talks on April 10. 

White House officials framed the ceasefire as a "win" for President Donald Trump, saying that the president had aimed for an operation lasting four to six weeks and that the objectives had been achieved, News Nation reported.

According to the sources, the president and vice president's "tough negotiations" led to the ceasefire, and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, "without the help of NATO."

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei instructed all military units to stop firing, according to a statement read on state-run IRIB.

"This is not the end of the war but all military branches should follow the Supreme Leader's order and cease their fire," the statement said.

China, which is Tehran's biggest trade partner, spoke with the Iranians to get them on board, according to two officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Chinese officials were in touch with Iranian officials to encourage Tehran to find a path to a ceasefire deal as the negotiations were evolving, the officials said.

Beijing primarily had been working with intermediaries, including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, as it tried to use its influence, said one of the officials, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the diplomatic matter.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier Tuesday, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said, "All parties need to demonstrate sincerity and quickly end this war that should not have happened in the first place." She said China was "deeply concerned" about the impact the conflict has on the world economy and energy security.

(AP)

Asked for clarity on what Trump meant by the Iranian peace proposal being "workable," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "President Trump's words speak for themselves: this is a workable basis to negotiate, and those negotiations will continue."

"The truth is that President Trump and our powerful military got Iran to agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations will continue," Leavitt said in a statement.

(AP)

The two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, a regional official said Wednesday.

The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. It wasn't immediately clear what Oman would use its money for.

The strait is in the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran. The world had considered the passage an international waterway and never paid tolls before.

The official, who had been directly involved in the negotiations, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

(AP)

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the United States, Iran, and all their allies have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon. Pakistan has been a key negotiator in attempting to reach a diplomatic solution between the two warring parties.

In his statement announcing the truce, the Pakistani PM invited delegations from Tehran and Washington to Islamabad on "Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes."

Minutes after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, Tehran accepted the deal. In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote: "If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations."

In his statement, Araghchi expressed gratitude and appreciation for his "dear brothers" - Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. He thanked them for their "tireless efforts to end the war in the region."

"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. 

This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning long-term peace with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. 

We received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two-week period will allow the Agreement to be finalised and consummated. 

On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this long-term problem close to resolution. Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Hours after threatening that "a whole civilisation will die tonight," US President Donald Trump early Wednesday said that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, stepping back from the threat of strikes on the country's power plants and bridges.

Trump announced the ceasefire on Truth Social, saying he had accepted a proposal put forward by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Field Marshal Asim Munir. The proposal calls for a two-week halt to hostilities and the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments.

Trump said the United States would use the two-week window to work towards a final agreement with Iran.