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U.S. and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire
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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them.
and Iran reached a temporary ceasefire, with Israel saying it supports the agreement but is continuing its assault on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon.
Business Oil prices plunge and stocks soar after 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. Andrew Leyden/Getty Images hide caption
In another morning social media post, Trump said the 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.
Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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.
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. AP hide caption
"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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− By
NPR Staff
Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on Wednesday.
+ By
NPR Staff
Smoke rises over Lebanon's capital of Beirut following Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday.
− AFP via Getty Images hide caption
The U.S.
+ Israel said it was targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah, despite a U.S.
+ ceasefire with Iran. Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
The U.S.
− Several Gulf Arab countries also reported some attacks, in an early test of the truce.
+ Iran and several Gulf Arab countries also reported some attacks, in an early test of the fragile truce.
− and Iran agree on a ceasefire Middle East conflict After Israel's invasion, many in southern Lebanon worry they'll never go home 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.
+ and Iran agree on a ceasefire Middle East conflict After Israel's invasion, many in southern Lebanon worry they'll never go home Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, called out violations of the agreement and urged "all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict."
The ceasefire announcement marked a breathtaking comedown from President Trump's pledge that a "whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" if Iran did not reach a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday night.
− escalation: President Trump's Tuesday night deadline for Iran to reach a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz or else face total destruction.
+ His threat had drawn rebukes from other countries and from Pope Leo XIV, who called it "truly unacceptable" and appealed for dialogue.
− Trump hailed the agreement early Wednesday as "a big day for World Peace!"
As Trump pledged the U.S.
+ Trump hailed the ceasefire agreement early Wednesday as "a big day for World Peace!"
As Trump pledged the U.S.
− will work with Iran to "dig up and remove" nuclear material he said is buried after U.S.
+ will work with Iran to "dig up and remove" Iranian nuclear material he said is buried after U.S.
− Here are more updates from the region today:
Iran reaction | Dispute over Hezbollah | Israel reaction| Shelly Kittleson freed
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.
+ Here are more updates from the region:
Click the links below to jump down to a specific section.
− "Good news to the dear nation of Iran!
+ Israel pounds Beirut | Iran hails ceasefire win | Israel reaction| Shelly Kittleson freed
Israel carried out its largest attack in Lebanon since the start of the war last month, after asserting that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal did not include its fight against Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
A series of Israeli airstrikes hit multiple neighborhoods in the heart of Beirut during morning rush hour, causing panic around the capital.
Lebanon's health minister said 89 people were killed and 722 wounded, as they continued pulling people out of the rubble.
Israeli military spokesperson Lt.
− Nearly all the objectives of the war have been achieved," the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.
+ Col. Nadav Shoshani explained why Israel made a surprise attack. "Leading up to this operation, we've seen Hezbollah disperse over different areas, taking advantage of the warnings that we provide for civilians to also hide for themselves among the civilians, moving, trying to scatter their operations in different locations and to hide behind civilian locations," he said.
− Iran officials warned that any deviation from the agreement could lead to future violence.
+ Since Hezbollah entered the fray last month in support of Iran, Shoshani said, the group was firing more than 100 rockets at Israel on most days.
− "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.
+ The death toll after more than a month of Israeli attacks in Lebanon has surpassed 1,500, and more than 1 million people are displaced by the fighting, according to Lebanese authorities.
− Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif for his role in the negotiations.
+ 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.
− A vendor displays morning newspapers at his roadside stall in Islamabad on Wednesday.
+ That's despite the fact that when Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, acting as mediator, announced the Iran-U.S.
− 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.
+ ceasefire, he specifically mentioned it would take effect across the region "including Lebanon."
But President Trump echoed Netanyahu's understanding of it.
− Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
"If attacks against Iran are halted our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations," Araghchi said in a statement.
+ Asked by a PBS reporter why Lebanon was not included, he said, "Because of Hezbollah.
− 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."
Just hours after the pause in violence was announced there appeared to be disagreement over who would be granted a reprieve from the strikes.
+ They were not included in the deal. That'll get taken care of too."
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."
The English arm of Iran's state broadcaster quoted an Iranian security official as saying that Israel was violating the ceasefire and would be punished.
− 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.
+ Many displaced Lebanese, when they initially heard the ceasefire news, rejoiced, packed up and started driving home to areas they had evacuated.
− Hezbollah said in a statement that it insists the U.S.-Iran ceasefire includes Lebanon.
+ 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 Wednesday, after the U.S.
− 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.
+ and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
− 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.
+ Israel continued its strikes in Lebanon saying it was not part of the truce. Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
But then Israeli attacks continued. Lebanese news reports showed a car in flames hit by an Israeli strike on the seafront in Sidon, a city in southern Lebanon that's not one of the areas the Israeli military had warned it would attack. Israeli artillery shelling also continued. Lebanon's state media said there were airstrikes in the southern port city of Tyre and on a unit of paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah.
− 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.
+ Lebanon's government asked displaced people to stay put saying that it's still dangerous.
Iranian leaders touted the ceasefire as a victory, noting they believed the "criminal U.S." agreed to "the general framework" of Iran's 10-point proposal.
"Good news to the dear nation of Iran!
− 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.
+ Nearly all the objectives of the war have been achieved," the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.
But the statement warned any deviation from the agreement could lead to future violence.
− Israel has also issued fresh evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs.
+ "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.
− 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.
+ Iran's foreign minister, 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.
− 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.
+ 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.
− Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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.
+ Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
"If attacks against Iran are halted our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations," Araghchi said in a statement. "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."
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 spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
− 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.
+ 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 Wednesday.