Trump and Iran Reach Fragile Two-Week Ceasefire Agreement; Netanyahu Excludes Lebanon from Truce

Despite the diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran, conflict continues on Israel’s northern front.

By RMN News Service
New Delhi | April 8, 2026

In a major diplomatic shift on April 8, 2026, United States President Donald Trump and the Iranian government agreed to a 14-day ceasefire to halt a conflict that has escalated since late February. While the pause is intended to provide an “offramp” for permanent negotiations, the stability of the region remains uncertain as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly excluded Lebanon from the truce.

The 10-Point Plan and the Strait of Hormuz

The ceasefire was brokered through a 10-point proposal presented by Iranian officials via Pakistani mediators, specifically Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. According to President Trump, the US will suspend its bombing campaign against Iran for two weeks following Tehran’s agreement to address “almost all” past points of contention.

A critical component of the agreement is the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy corridor that has been blocked for five weeks. For its part, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council labeled the deal a “significant diplomatic victory,” asserting that the truce acknowledges several key Iranian demands, including:

• Continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.
• The lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions.
• International acceptance of Iran’s nuclear enrichment.
• The withdrawal of US combat forces from the region.

Detailed negotiations to finalize a permanent agreement are scheduled to begin this Friday in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The Lebanon Exception

Despite the diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran, conflict continues on Israel’s northern front. While Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif initially claimed the ceasefire would be effective “everywhere including Lebanon,” the Israeli government quickly issued a rejection of that premise.

Prime Minister Netanyahu clarified that while Israel supports efforts to neutralize Iranian threats, the truce “does not include Lebanon”. He emphasized that Israeli military operations will persist until Iran and its proxies no longer pose a “nuclear, missile and terror threat” to Israel. As of Wednesday, neither Hezbollah nor the Lebanese government has issued a formal response to being excluded from the deal.

A Rising Humanitarian Crisis

The ongoing violence in Lebanon has taken a devastating toll since the conflict intensified on March 2, following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. Reports indicate that Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,500 people and displaced over 1 million in Lebanon.

The United Nations has warned of a “widening catastrophe” as the Israeli military continues its invasion of southern Lebanon to establish a “buffer zone”. Recent casualties of the violence include a Lebanese priest killed by tank fire, while reports from Tehran highlight the destruction of a psychiatric hospital during the recent hostilities.