A two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran has ended 40 days of US-Israeli attacks on Iran that had pushed the region to the brink of widespread war.
The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, came after a fierce exchange of airstrikes, missile attacks and threats that led to unprecedented attacks on Gulf states, disrupting global shipping routes and raising fears of a prolonged conflict.
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on Twitter announcing the cessation of hostilities, “Both sides have displayed remarkable wisdom and understanding and have engaged constructively in furthering the objective of peace and stability.”
Iran also confirmed it would allow shipping to resume in the Strait of Hormuz during a two-week period, reducing the disruption that had sent global oil and gas prices soaring. Israel has also announced that it will stop attacks on its old enemy.
Still, many questions remain as Washington and Tehran remain at odds over what they see as a comprehensive agreement.
Talks starting in Islamabad on Friday will test whether the ceasefire can be transformed into a more durable arrangement.
So, what do we know about this two-week ceasefire and what happens next?
What has America agreed to?
Under the terms of the ceasefire, the United States has agreed to halt its military attacks on Iran for an initial two-week period, claiming that all of Washington’s military objectives have been “accomplished” and that Iran has agreed to the “full, immediate and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait, a vital route for a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, was closed by Tehran in retaliation for the US-Israeli war that began on February 28.
Additionally, Trump said the US had received a 10-point proposal from Iran, which he called a “pragmatic basis for dialogue.”
“Almost all points of previous dispute between the United States and Iran have been agreed upon, but in a period of two weeks the agreement will be finalized and completed,” he said on his social media platform Truth Social.
Although the full 10-point plan has not been made public, Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Baze has reported that it includes the following:
- A fundamental commitment by the United States to non-aggression.
- Controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the Iranian armed forces, which would in effect mean that Iran would maintain its dominance over the waterway.
- Approval of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
- Removal of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions against Iran.
- End of all resolutions against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
- All resolutions against Iran in the United Nations Security Council are over.
- Withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases in the region.
- Full compensation for losses suffered by Iran during the war – to be secured through payments to Iran by ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Release of all Iranian assets and properties seized abroad.
- Approval of all these matters in a binding resolution of the UNSC.
But Trump insisted in comments to the AFP news agency that Iran’s nuclear stockpile “will be taken care of” in any peace deal.
“He will be completely taken care of, otherwise I would not have made the deal,” Trump told AFP. Iran insists it is not trying to build nuclear weapons, but says it is willing to negotiate limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Later, in an interview with Sky News, Trump suggested that the 10-point plan that Iranian officials have formally leaked is different from what is actually under negotiation.
“Those are very good points – and most of them have been fully negotiated,” he told Sky News. “These are not the maximalist demands that Iran is claiming.”
The US President said, “If this (negotiations from here) is not good, we will very easily return to this (fight).”
Since the ceasefire announcement, neither the US leader nor his administration has made any mention of the key points outlined in the 10-point plan, which include the lifting of US sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, continuing control of the Strait of Hormuz or withdrawing US military forces from the region.
Interestingly, the US also made no mention of Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, a key feature of Iran’s countermeasures against US and Israeli forces. Earlier, Washington had demanded that Iran curb or seriously eliminate its ballistic missile program.
Iran has made it clear that its missile program is not up for discussion.
What has Iran agreed to?
Iran has accepted a ceasefire on the condition that US and Israeli attacks cease, and has agreed to halt its own retaliatory attacks during a two-week period.
“If attacks against Iran are stopped, our powerful armed forces will cease their defensive operations,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on Twitter.
Later on Wednesday, pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq also announced a two-week cessation of their attacks on “enemy targets” in the region.
Araghchi confirmed Trump’s claims of providing safe passage to ships through the Strait of Hormuz for 14 days, and said the resumption of activities along the strait would be in coordination with Iranian armed forces.
The ceasefire plan also allows both Iran and Oman to impose tariffs on ships passing through the waterway, the AP news agency quoted an unnamed regional official as saying.
According to the official, the toll collected by Iran will be used for the reconstruction of the country.
What has Israel agreed to?
While Israel supported the Pakistani-brokered ceasefire with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would not extend to its fight with the Lebanese-armed group Hezbollah or Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu’s comments appeared to contradict claims by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had said the ceasefire included a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
On Wednesday morning, the Israeli army continued its attacks in the country and issued a new order to evacuate a building near the southern city of Tyre.
On March 2, Lebanon joined the US and Israel in the war on Iran after Tehran-aligned Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel.
Hezbollah said the attacks were in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, the first day of the war, as well as Israel’s near-daily violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon through November 2024.
Lebanese officials say at least 1,497 people have been killed since the war began, including 57 health workers.
what happens next?
The immediate next step is the beginning of talks in Islamabad, where US and Iranian officials are expected to meet under Pakistani mediation.
Pakistani PM Sharif said, “I warmly welcome this intelligence and express my deep gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10 April 2026, to negotiate a decisive agreement to settle all disputes.”
Iran expert Trita Parsi said potential talks in Islamabad could fail, “but the terrain has changed”.
“Trump’s failed use of force has weakened the credibility of US military threats, bringing a new dynamic to US-Iran diplomacy,” he said.
“Washington may still shake its saber. But after a failed war, such threats ring hollow. The United States is no longer in a position to dictate terms; any agreement will have to depend on actual agreement.”
