NPR
Mediators push to extend U.S.-Iran ceasefire
+448 words added -354 words removed
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.
By
NPR Staff
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the Lebanese village of Kfar Tibnit on Thursday. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed the importance of a ceasefire before any direct negotiations with Israel. and Israel launched a war with Iran.
This comes two days after Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the U.S.
The latest chapter of fighting escalated after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,100 people and displaced over 1 million in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.
Hezbollah's attacks have killed at least 12 Israeli soldiers and two civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, a key mediator in talks between the U.S. and Iran, was in Iran's capital Tehran Thursday to secure a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations ahead of April 22, the deadline of the tenuous two-week ceasefire.
Pakistan, which holds strong diplomatic relations with both the U.S. and Iran, has emerged as a key mediator in negotiations between the two countries.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed the point on Wednesday, saying the Pakistanis "are the only mediator in this negotiation" and the president felt it's important to streamline the process through them.
In this photo released by Telegram channel of the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, welcomes Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon his arrival in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. AP/Telegram channel of the the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. hide caption
"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," Vance said.
Iran, under its 10-point negotiation plan, demanded an end to Israel's attacks against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement. Other demands from the Iranian delegation included the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees around its nuclear program and the right to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's military warned it will retaliate by blocking other important shipping routes if the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues.
Major-General Ali Abdol-lahi, the commander of Iran's top military command center, renewed threats on Wednesday to halt all trade in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea in retaliation for U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
A man stands onshore with the Greek-flagged crude oil tanker "Asahi Princess" off the coast of the Syrian Baniyas port refinery, along the Mediterranean Sea on April 15, 2026. Bakr Alkasem/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Of particular concern is Bab al Mandeb, a narrow waterway in the Red Sea for vessels sailing between Europe and Asia. Iranian-aligned Houthi militias in Yemen control much of the coastline near the Bab al Mandeb. Houthis disrupted shipping in that passage during the height of the Gaza war.
Another route that could be in jeopardy if Iran retaliates is a pipeline that Saudi Arabia has used just after the Iran war began on Feb. 28 to divert crude oil from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea.
A top aide to Iran's supreme leader said Thursday Iran would sink U.S. ships if Trump tries to "police" the Strait of Hormuz and that he'd welcome a ground invasion as a chance to hold US soldiers hostage.
Mohsen Rezaee, a former commander in chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, told the Iranian Fars news agency he is personally opposed to a ceasefire, and that Iran is prepared for a prolonged conflict with the United States.
Feelings are mixed among the Iranian public about the possibility of a ceasefire. Many say they welcome an end to the war, but critics of the regime say keeping a hardline government in place will lead to a harsher crackdown on dissent and personal freedoms.
In this voice note shared with NPR, a carpenter in the city of Rasht, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears for his safety, said he thinks it's a good sign that Iran has sat at the negotiating table at all. But many, he says — are fed up with and how long the process has taken. It makes people's hopelessness even worse, he said.
Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, Israel, Kat Lonsdorf and Jawad Rizkallah in Beirut, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Abuhamda in Cairo, Rebecca Rosman in London, Jackie Northam in Maine, Tina Kraja and Alex Leff in Washington contributed to this report.
Sponsor Message
Become an NPR sponsor
− Abbas Fakih/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Israel will begin a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, according to President Trump, which would pause Israel's conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has escalated since the U.S.
+ Abbas Fakih/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Israel has agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, which would pause Israel's conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has escalated since the U.S.
− That truce will start Thursday at 5 p.m.
+ The truce will start Thursday at 5 p.m.
− Eastern time, he wrote on social media.
+ Eastern time, President Trump announced.
− This comes midway through another, two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, even as the U.S.
+ Middle East conflict A complex set of negotiations to end Israel's overlapping wars The devastating conflict in Lebanon has posed a challenge for the shaky ceasefire between the U.S.
− enforces a naval blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
+ and Iran, as Iranian leaders have insisted the agreement include Lebanon.
− National Security 3 things to know about naval blockades as U.S.
+ Meanwhile, the U.S.
− patrols the Strait of Hormuz Here are more updates from the Middle East conflict:
Israel ceasefire in Lebanon | U.S.-Iran talks | Iranian threats
Lebanese displaced woman Mariam Zein sits with her son inside the classroom of a school transformed into a displaced reception center in the area of Dekwaneh, east of Beirut on April 15, 2026. Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Israel will enter a 10-day ceasefire in the fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to President Trump.
+ continues enforcing a naval blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, as mediators work to bring about an end to the Iran war that has engulfed the region, and caused oil supply disruptions and higher fuel prices around the world.
− "I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel.
+ National Security 3 things to know about naval blockades as the U.S.
− These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M.
+ patrols the Strait of Hormuz Here are more updates from the Middle East conflict:
Israel ceasefire in Lebanon | U.S.-Iran talks | Iranian threats
Lebanese displaced woman Mariam Zein sits with her son inside the classroom of a school transformed into a displaced reception center in the area of Dekwaneh, east of Beirut on April 15, 2026.
− EST," Trump wrote on social media.
+ Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has agreed to enter a 10-day ceasefire in the fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah but will not withdraw Israel's troops from southern Lebanon.
− An Israeli drone flies over the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
+ His remarks followed President Trump's announcement on social media that Netanyahu and the president of Lebanon agreed to the temporary ceasefire and that it would begin Thursday at 5 p.m.
− Hussein Malla/AP hide caption
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a statement he welcomed Trump's ceasefire announcement.
+ Eastern time.
− The leaders of Israel and Hezbollah did not immediately comment.
+ Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he welcomed Trump's ceasefire announcement.
− Trump also said he is inviting Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House for peace talks.
+ But Hezbollah said the Lebanese people have "the right to resist" if Israeli forces remained in Lebanon, Reuters reported, raising the question of whether it will abide by the truce.
+ Hezbollah has both a political wing, with lawmakers in Lebanon's national parliament, and a militant wing that operates largely independently of the Lebanese government and receives funding and direction from Iran.
An Israeli drone flies over the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Hussein Malla/AP hide caption
Trump also said he is inviting Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House for peace talks.
− held rare talks in Washington, the first direct, high-level engagement between the two countries in decades.
+ held rare talks in Washington, the first direct high-level engagement between the two countries in decades.
− In a couple of days, Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel.
+ Within a few days, Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel.
− Israel responded with airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon.
+ Israeli forces responded with airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon.
− Vice President JD Vance, Washington's lead negotiator, said a major sticking point that led to the breakdown in Saturday's talks was Iran's refusal to commit to abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
+ Vice President Vance, Washington's lead negotiator, said a major sticking point that led to the breakdown in Saturday's talks was Iran's refusal to commit to abandoning its nuclear ambitions.