A two-week cease-fire between the United States and Iran halted U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran for 40 days, which had brought the region to the brink of wider war.
The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, follows a fierce exchange of airstrikes, missile attacks and threats that included unprecedented attacks on Gulf states, disrupted global shipping routes and raised fears of a protracted conflict.
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While announcing the cessation of hostilities, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X that “both countries have shown remarkable wisdom and understanding and continued to work constructively in advancing the cause of peace and stability.”
Iran also confirmed it would allow shipping to resume across the Strait of Hormuz during a two-week period, easing disruptions that had caused global oil and gas prices to soar. Israel also announced that it would halt attacks on its longtime enemy.
Nevertheless, there remains a polar divide over what Washington and the Iranian government consider a comprehensive agreement, and many questions remain.
Negotiations scheduled to begin in Islamabad on Friday will test whether the ceasefire can be transformed into a more permanent arrangement.
So what do we know about this two-week ceasefire and what will happen next?
What did the US agree to?
Under the terms of the ceasefire, the US insisted that all US military objectives had been “achieved” and that Iran had agreed to the “full, immediate and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz, and agreed to cease military attacks on Iran for an initial two-week period.
Tehran effectively closed the strait, a vital passageway for one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas, in retaliation for the US-Israel war that began on February 28.
Additionally, President Trump said the United States had received a 10-point proposal from Iran, which he described as a “workable basis for negotiations.”
“The US and Iran have reached an agreement on almost all the issues of the past, and the agreement will be finalized and signed over a two-week period,” he said on his social media platform Truth Social.
Although the full contents of the 10-point plan have not been made public, Al Jazeera’s foreign affairs editor James Bayes reported that the plan includes:
A fundamental promise of non-aggression by the United States. It works with the Iranian military to control passage through the Strait of Hormuz. This effectively means that Iran maintains influence over the waterway. Acceptance of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions against Iran. End all resolutions against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ending all UN Security Council resolutions against Iran. withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases in the region; Full compensation for damages suffered by Iran during the war – secured through payments to Iran by ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Release of all Iranian assets and assets frozen abroad. Ratify all of these items in a binding Security Council resolution.
However, President Trump insisted in comments to AFP that Iran’s nuclear stockpile would be “considered” in any peace agreement.
“This issue will be completely resolved, otherwise I would not have settled,” Trump told AFP. Iran insists it does not seek 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, President Trump appeared to suggest that the 10-point plan officially leaked by Iranian officials was different from what was actually being negotiated.
“Those are very good points and most of them are fully negotiated,” he told Sky News. “These are not the extremist demands that Iran is making.”
“If[the upcoming negotiations]don’t work out, we will easily go back[to fighting]quickly,” he added.
Since announcing the ceasefire, neither U.S. leaders nor the administration have addressed any of the key issues mentioned in the 10-point plan, including lifting U.S. sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets, maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz, and withdrawing U.S. forces from the region.
Interestingly, the US also did not mention Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, which is a key feature of Iran’s retaliation against US and Israeli forces. The US government has previously called on Iran to curb or significantly eliminate its ballistic missile program.
Iran has made clear that its missile program is not up for discussion.
What did Iran agree to?
Iran accepted a ceasefire on the condition that the United States and Israel halt their attacks, and agreed to suspend its own retaliatory attacks within two weeks.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X: “If attacks against Iran are stopped, our powerful military will cease defensive operations.”
Late Wednesday, pro-Iranian militants in Iraq also announced a two-week halt to attacks on “enemy bases” in the region.
Aragushi confirmed President Trump’s insistence on allowing ships to safely navigate the Strait of Hormuz for 14 days, adding that any resumption of activity along the strait would be done in coordination with the Iranian military.
The ceasefire plan also allows both Iran and Oman to charge ships passing through the waterway, the Associated Press reported, citing unnamed regional officials.
The official said the tolls charged by Iran would be used to rebuild the country.
What did Israel agree to?
Israel supported a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire with Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would not extend its scope to fighting the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah or Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu’s comments appeared to contradict Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s assertion that the ceasefire also included an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
On Wednesday morning, Israeli forces continued their offensive in the country and issued new evacuation orders for buildings near the southern city of Tire.
Lebanon was drawn into the US-Israel war against Iran on March 2 after Tehran-aligned Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel.
Hezbollah said the attacks were in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei on February 28, the first day of the war, and for Israel’s near-daily violations of the ceasefire agreed in Lebanon in November 2024.
Lebanese authorities say at least 1,497 people have died since the conflict began, including 57 medical workers.
What happens next?
The immediate next step is the start of negotiations in Islamabad, where U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to meet, mediated by Pakistan.
“I wholeheartedly welcome this wise move, express my deep gratitude to the leaders of both countries, and invite delegations from both countries to Islamabad on Friday, April 10, 2026, for further negotiations towards a final agreement resolving all disputes,” Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif said.
Iran expert Trita Parsi said potential talks in Islamabad could fail, but “the situation has changed”.
“President Trump’s failure to use force has diminished the credibility of the U.S. military threat and introduced a new dynamic in U.S.-Iranian diplomacy.”
“Washington can still sound the saber. But after the war has failed, such threats ring hollow. The United States is no longer in a position to dictate the terms. Any agreement will have to rely on real compromise.”
