Get you up to speed: Trump announces two-week ceasefire with Iran amid breakthrough in talks

Trump pulls back from the brink after last gasp deal with Iran reached | News World

Donald Trump has reeled back on his threat to wipe out Iran after a breakthrough in talks.

In a post on his social media site on Tuesday evening, Trump said Iran could agree ‘to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz’ and said that he’d then ‘suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.’

Since the war began in February, Trump has set a series of deadlines threatening escalation of the conflict, only to back off just before they expire.

Trump claims Iran has proposed a ‘workable’ 10-point peace plan that could help end war.

It came after men, women and children were pictured forming human chains around nuclear plants and bridges Trump vowed to obliterate.

Earlier, Trump posted ‘A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,’ he wrote.

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April 8, 2026 3:23 am

Trump thanks Pakistan for help negotiating two week ceasefire

In his social media post, Trump said he came to the decision to delay an expansion of US strikes ‘based on conversations’ with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Gen. Asim Munir, Pakistan’s powerful army chief.

Sharif, in a post on X earlier Tuesday, urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks to allow diplomacy to advance. Pakistan has been leading negotiations.

Sharif used the same post to ask Iran to open the Hormuz Strait for two weeks.

April 8, 2026 2:26 am

Iran says acceptance of a ceasefire doesn’t mean an end to the war

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has said it had accepted a two-week ceasefire in the war.

Its statement said it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.

‘It is emphasised that this does not signify the termination of the war,’ the statement said.

‘Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.’

April 8, 2026 12:18 am

Donald Trump claims two week ceasefire reached as he backs down on promise to end Iran’s civilization

The president says that includes an array of bridges, power plants and other civilian targets — subject to Iran being ready for a two week ceasefire and to reopen Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on his social media site on Tuesday evening, Trump said Iran could agree ‘to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz’ and said that he’d then ‘suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.’

The president added in his social media post that Iran has presented ‘a workable basis on which to negotiate.’

‘Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,’ Trump said in the post.

April 7, 2026 8:49 pm

British military personnel ‘removed from Iraq’

The Ministry of Defence has reportedly removed staff from Iraq with more deployments cancelled as Trump threatens to ‘end civilisation’ in the country.

A military source told The I: ‘It’s just the risk factor on two fronts.

‘One, there is a risk to life, and secondly, [there is a] big strategic diplomatic risk of having guys who are pretty much embedded in the American system who can get targeted.

‘Getting Brits killed in this war would change the calculus.’

April 7, 2026 8:19 pm

Emergency tablets for ‘radiological incidents’ handed out to all Iranians in Bushehr

Health authorities in the southern port city of Bushehr, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant, have distributed 180,000 iodine tablets among residents as part of a crisis preparedness plan, a local official said.The deputy for health at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences… pic.twitter.com/AaWnuH6Hke

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) April 7, 2026

Iodine tablets have been handed out to 180,000 residents living in Bushehr as Trump threatens to bomb the nuclear power plant.

The tablets are intended to use to help fight against radiation poisoning up to four hours after exposure.

April 7, 2026 8:15 pm

Nigel Farage says Trump has gone ‘way too far’

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform and long-time ally of the US President, admitted Trump’s threats were ‘over the top’.

He told the Press Association he was ‘upset [and] angry’ at Trump, adding: ‘I am quite shocked just to hear that. That is over the top in every single way.

‘Yes of course he wants to threaten – to get them to the negotiating table. But those words are… they’re way too far.’

April 7, 2026 8:13 pm

WATCH: Iranians party as they form human shields in an attempt to stop Trump’s bombing

April 7, 2026 8:12 pm

Pope slams Trump’s threats as ‘truly unacceptable’

The Pope has said Trump’s threats to destroy Iran’s civilisation is ‘truly unacceptable’.

Pope Leo has urged citizens to contact local politicians and urge them to stand against conflict.

He said: ‘Today, as we all know, there was this threat against all the people of Iran. This is truly unacceptable.’

The Pope has been an outspoken critic of the Iran war.

April 7, 2026 7:08 pm

Ripple effect of Trump’s threats felt in Middle East

According to Reuters, Kuwait’s interior ministry is now asking citizens and residents to stay home from midnight to 6 am on Wednesday as a ‘precautionary measure.’

April 7, 2026 7:01 pm

Democrats blast ‘unhinged’ Trump’s annihilation threat

House Democratic leaders in a joint statement called President Donald Trump ‘completely unhinged’ and asked the House to be brought back immediately into legislative session.

‘His statement threatening to eradicate an entire civilisation shocks the conscience and requires a decisive congressional response,’ said the joint statement from Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and four other top House Democrats.

‘The House must come back into session immediately and vote to end this reckless war of choice in the Middle East before Donald Trump plunges our country into World War III,’ the Democratic lawmakers said.

They called on House Republicans to put patriotic duty over party loyalty and ‘join Democrats in stopping this madness.’

April 7, 2026 6:59 pm

UN official ‘on way to Tehran’ for last-gasp peace talks

AP is reporting that a United Nations official tasked with addressing the Strait of Hormuz crisis and supporting mediation efforts to end the conflict is currently en route to Tehran.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN, denied previous reports that negotiation channels between Washington and Tehran were closed.

He said: ‘Iran stands ready to engage constructively with all genuine diplomatic efforts.’

Amir-Saeid Iravani said that Trump’s threats that a ‘whole civilization will die’ if Iran does not make a deal ‘constitute incitement to war crimes and potentially genocide.’

During a Security Council session on the Strait of Hormuz, Iravani urged the international community to call out Trump’s rhetoric before it’s too late.

‘Iran will not stand idle in the face of such egregious war crimes. It will exercise, without hesitation, its inherent right of self-defense and will take immediate and proportionate reciprocal measures,’ he said.

April 7, 2026 6:52 pm

Iranians put themselves in harm’s way in defiance of Trump’s threats

April 7, 2026 6:11 pm

Israeli news channel launches countdown clock

🚨🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇷 BREAKING: Israeli Channel 13 has set a COUNTDOWN CLOCK in anticipation of Trump’s deadline against Iran… pic.twitter.com/fiRymC6Hcj

— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) April 7, 2026

April 7, 2026 6:07 pm

‘Glimmer of hope’ of breakthrough in peace talks

Axios is reporting that progress has been made in negotiations between the US and Iran in the past 24 hours.

A US official said the thinking in the White House has shifted from ‘can we get there?’ to ‘can we get there by 8 o’clock tonight?’

April 7, 2026 5:57 pm

Marco Rubio accuses Iran of terrorism as countdown to oblivion looms

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said Iran is ‘conducting terrorist activity’ against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as a deadline set by Donald Trump for Tehran to end its chokehold on the vital waterway looms.

As the UK urged ‘de-escalation’ in the face of dire warnings by the US president, Mr Rubio said: ‘The whole world’s been impacted unfortunately because Iran is violating every law known by striking commercial vessels in the Straits of Hormuz, and it’s a big problem for the world.

‘I mean, this is a regime that doesn’t believe in laws, rules or anything like that.

‘It’s a state sponsor of terrorism, so it’s not surprising that they’re now conducting terrorist activity against commercial vessels.’

April 7, 2026 5:51 pm

HMS Dragon suffers ‘technical issue’ in the Arabian Sea

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘HMS Dragon is undertaking a routine logistics stop and a short maintenance period in the Eastern Mediterranean, allowing the ship to take onboard provisions, optimise systems, and conduct maintenance.

‘HMS Dragon will remain at a very high level of readiness during this period, able to sail at short notice if required.

‘The UK continues to maintain a robust and layered defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, working in coordination with allies. This includes Typhoon and F-35 jets, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, and advanced counter-drone and air defence systems’.

The Ministry of Defence was forced to deny claims a British warship was hit by a Hezbollah missile on Sunday after speculation exploded on social media.

The Government insists HMS Dragon was always due for a logistics stop at this stage in deployment but a ‘minor technical issue’ with the onboard water systems will be fixed as part of it.

April 7, 2026 5:41 pm

Trump is adamant about 8pm deadline on Iran oblivion

US President Donald Trump said his 8pm (EST) deadline remains in place and warned Iran of a potential attack ‘like they have not seen,’ according to remarks made in a phone interview with Bret Baier on Fox News.

‘I just got off the phone with the president… I said, listen, if you were to put odds on it, what were the odds that this is going to end up being a negotiated deal? He said he wasn’t going to put odds on it. But he said, ‘8pm is happening,’ Baier said, recounting the call.

‘He said, ‘it is—if we get to that point—there is going to be an attack like they have not seen.’ Now he’s sticking to that at this point… it is moving forward with the plans that we have. That’s a huge deal,’ he added.

April 7, 2026 5:12 pm

Hezbollah offshoot say they will release American journalist Shelley Kittleson kidnapped in Iraq

Iraqi militia, Kataib Hezbollah snatched American Journalist Shelley Kittleson off the streets of Baghdad.

In exchange, the group demanded that Iraq free several of its detained members.

The group have just announced they will release the freelance reporter as long as she leaves Iraq.

April 7, 2026 4:48 pm

‘Iran does not fear deluded Trump’s threats’

Iran’s first vice president Mohammad Reza Aref has hit back at Trump’s threats to annihilate Iran.

He says that Iran’s civilisation has overcome the ‘delusions’ of its enemies for thousands of years.

Iran ‘will not be intimidated by Trump’s threats’, he said.

‘Our response to the enemy’s brutality is to stand firm and rely on the internal strength of the Iranian nation.’

April 7, 2026 3:49 pm

US Embassy orders US employees to shelter in place ‘until further notice’

The clock is quickly approaching the deadline Donald Trump set for Iran, and neighbouring Gulf Countries appear to be preparing for the worst.

The US Department of State Consular Affairs issued a statement this afternoon reading: ‘The U.S. Embassy in Manama has directed all U.S. government employees to shelter in place. 

‘We recommend that all Americans in Bahrain do the same until further notice. To the extent possible, remain in a secure structure and stay away from windows.

‘Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items.’

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