The Iran War entered a two-week ceasefire Tuesday evening, with Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to and Washington suspending its bombing campaign. The truce, brokered by Pakistan and set to be formalized in talks at Islamabad on Friday, is based on a 10-point Iranian proposal that President Donald Trump described as “a workable basis on which to negotiate.” Vice President J.D. Vance called the truce “fragile.”
The 10-point plan, submitted by Iran to end the war includes sanction relief, American withdrawal from the Persian Gulf region, and the recognition of Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz and uranium enrichment rights. It also stipulates the cessation of hostilities against Iranian-aligned groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi formalized Tehran’s position in an overnight statement on behalf of the Supreme National Security Council. He said that Iran’s armed forces would cease “defensive operations” on the condition that all U.S. and Israeli attacks stop.
Araghchi credited Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for brokering the agreement. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council called the outcome “a historic victory” and said through Tasnim News Agency that negotiations would not mark the end of the conflict, “but rather an extension of the battlefield into diplomatic efforts, with a clear stance of distrust towards the US.”
The ceasefire showed immediate signs of strain. The UAE reported 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones originating from Iran in the hours following the announcement. Saudi Aramco’s East–West oil pipeline was struck by a drone, with damage still being assessed.
The IRGC said it shot down an Israeli Hermes 900 drone over Fars Province in southern Iran, and warned that any entry of American or Israeli aircraft into Iranian airspace would be treated as a ceasefire violation and met with a “decisive response.”
Israel declared that the ceasefire did not cover Lebanon and launched its largest wave of strikes on the country since it began its campaign last month, hitting more than 100 sites across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and the country’s south. Lebanese authorities say that hundreds have already been killed by Israeli strikes today.
A source told Tasnim News Agency that Iran may withdraw from the ceasefire if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue. Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that oil tankers’ passage had been suspended in response to the strikes, although the report has not been confirmed by Iranian officials.
Iran continued to assert formal control over the Strait of Hormuz, with the Financial Times reporting that oil tankers are being required to email cargo manifests to Iranian authorities and pay a $1 toll in Bitcoin per barrel of oil before receiving clearance to transit.
Hamid Hosseini, spokesman for Iran’s oil exporters’ union, said Tehran was “not in a rush” to process vessels, and Iranian analysts estimate the backlog would allow only 10 to 15 ships per day to transit, down from 135 before the war. The shipping giant Maersk said that it would “take a cautious approach” and indicated that it would “not [be] making any changes to specific services.”
Two vessels, the Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth and the Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach, were reported to have transited the strait Wednesday. No uptick has been recorded from previous weeks.
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