What we know about the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran

 

Iran and the US have agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire, during which shipping traffic will be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran and the US have agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire, during which shipping traffic will be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz.

This comes more than a month after the US and Israel launched co-ordinated attacks on Iran, and hours after US President Donald Trump threatened "a whole civilisation will die tonight" if Iran did not reopen the Strait.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating negotiations, said early on Wednesday that the ceasefire was effective immediately.

Here's what we know so far about the deal.

What have the US and Iran said?

Trump said he had agreed to "suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks" if Tehran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and other exports from the Gulf.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he agreed to the provisional ceasefire because "we have already met and exceeded all military objectives".

This comes after he earlier warned the US could take Iran out "in one night" and that a "whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again" - threats that drew condemnation from UN Secretary General António Guterres and Pope Leo XIV.

Later on Wednesday, Trump said that the US will be working closely with Iran and "talking tariff and sanctions relief".

On his Truth Social platform he added in a separate post that "a country supplying military weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions."

Iran has agreed to allow vessels through the Hormuz Strait for two weeks, with their passage co-ordinated by the Iranian military.

The country has also issued a 10-point plan, which includes, among other things, the complete cessation of war in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen; "full commitment" to lifting sanctions on Iran; the release of Iranian funds and frozen assets held by the US; and a "full payment of compensation for reconstruction costs" to Iran.

It also says, "Iran fully commits to not seeking possession of any nuclear weapons".

"Iran's victory in the field would also be consolidated in political negotiations," Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

According to Sharif, the ceasefire will also take effect in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Israel has backed the deal but says it "does not include Lebanon", renewing strikes on Wednesday in the Tyre and Nabatieh areas in the south of the country.

What has Israel said?

Sirens sounded in Israel shortly after Trump's announcement, with the Israel Defense Forces saying they were intercepting missiles launched from Iran.

Several loud booms were heard in Jerusalem late on Tuesday night.

A few hours after the ceasefire was confirmed, Netanyahu said: "Israel supports President 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."

The statement added that the "ceasefire does not include Lebanon", where Israel has ground troops.

It is unclear how involved Netanyahu was in Trump's decision-making.

What is next?

Pakistan, which has been mediating the negotiations, has invited the delegations to meet in Islamabad on Friday "to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes".

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged ongoing discussions about in-person talks, but said "nothing is final until announced by the President or the White House".

Whatever form they take, negotiations are going to be very difficult.

Strikes appeared to be continuing after the ceasefire, as Kuwait on Wednesday morning reported Iranian attacks which damaged power and desalination plants as well as oil facilities.

"Kuwait air defences have been engaging an intense wave of hostile Iranian attacks, dealing with 28 drones targeting the State of Kuwait," the country's military said in a statement on X.

The US and Iran appear to have contradicting positions on what this ceasefire entails. And Iran and the US have held two rounds of talks in the past year. Both times saw military tensions escalate in the middle of negotiations.

The leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the EU welcomed the ceasefire and in a joint statement urged a "swift and lasting end" to the war.

"We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon," they said.

Source: BBC