A fragile cease-fire appeared to be holding hours after being agreed to by the United States and Iran, with ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz and heavy bombing runs halted for the first time in more than a month.
Leaders around the globe -- as well as financial and energy markets -- on April 8 welcomed the moves they hope will lead to a diplomatic solution to end the war, though there were still several reports of air strikes being launched by both Israel and Iran.
"The president of the United States has told me, and he's told the entire negotiating team, secretary of state, the special envoy Steve Witkoff, he said, 'Go and work in good faith to come to an agreement,'" Vice President JD Vance said while attending an event in Budapest.
SEE ALSO:
Trump Says US To Work 'Closely' With Iran After 'Very Productive Regime Change'"He's impatient. He's impatient to make progress. He has told us to negotiate in good faith, and I think if they negotiate in good faith, we will be able to find a deal. But that's a big if, and ultimately, it's up to the Iranians how they negotiate. I hope they make the right decision," Vance added.
Washington and Tehran agreed late on April 7 to a two-week Pakistani-brokered cease-fire, pulling back from the brink to allow the two sides time to negotiate a peace deal.
"The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!" Trump said in a social media post on April 8.
Islamabad will host direct negotiations between the two countries on April 10.
Trump, who early on April 7 wrote that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran fails to reach a deal, said in a social media post that he had received a 10-point proposal from Tehran and he believes "it is a workable basis on which to negotiate."
Iranians have expressed relief but also concern after the United States and Iran announced a deal to suspend hostilities for two weeks. After more than five weeks of strikes, some Iranians say they expect challenging days ahead with infrastructure destroyed -- but also want their own government to restore basic rights and to release political prisoners.
"I'm glad there is a cease-fire, but I won't rest until there's lasting peace," one man from inside Iran said in a message sent to RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
"I know there will be difficult days ahead of us. A lot of infrastructure has been destroyed, and [the authorities] are [likely] to become more violent, but we must stand together and distance ourselves from the warmongers."
Trump gave no details of the Iranian proposal, but added the agreement hinges on Tehran allowing the free passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which some 20 percent of the world's oil and gas passes.
According to data from maritime monitor Marine Traffic, two ships had already passed through the waterway by midday.
"Early signs of vessel activity are emerging in the Strait of Hormuz following a ceasefire announcement, which includes a temporary reopening of the strategic waterway to allow for negotiations," the monitor said in a post on X, noting a Greek-owned bulk carrier and a Liberian-flagged vessel had already crossed through the strait.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed in a post on X that if attacks against Iran are halted, Iran's armed forces "will cease" their retaliatory strikes aimed at targets throughout the Middle East.
SEE ALSO:
How Iran's Hormuz Blockade Chokes Global Trade Beyond Oil And Gas"For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations," he wrote.
Israel said it supports Trump's decision to stop attacking Iran for two weeks subject to the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the cessation of attacks against the United States, Israel, and other countries in the region.
But the statement, released by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the cease-fire did not include Lebanon, which contradicted an earlier statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan.
The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported more Israeli strikes across southern part of the country, including artillery shelling and a dawn air strike on a building near a hospital that killed four people.
In addition, Israel's military issued repeated urgent warnings to residents that it planned to attack the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Gulf States of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates reported fresh attacks on their territory.
Highly Precarious
Anne Dreazen, vice president of the American Jewish Committee's Center for a New Middle East, told RFE/RL that while the pause is a "tactical de-escalation," the maritime terms remain highly precarious.
She noted that because passage is still being coordinated via the Iranian military, the agreement represents a "controlled and conditional access regime" rather than a true return to international norms.
"In practical terms, Iran is retaining the ability to regulate, restrict, or politicize maritime traffic using the strait as leverage rather than restoring the principle of free navigation," Dreazen said, adding the burden is now on Tehran to prove it is ready to "shift course from coercion and disruption toward meaningful negotiation and de-escalation."
Trump's post announcing the cease-fire followed his warnings that the United States would target Iran's power plants and bridges.
It also came just hours after US and Israeli air strikes hit multiple locations across Iran, including infrastructure and the strategic Kharg Island.
Senior Trump administration officials called the deal "a win," while Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, characterized the agreement as "a tactical pause -- a delay" by the United States to see if Iran will hold to the deal.
"I think President Trump retains the option of escalating. The attack plans have been prepared. That credible military threat remains," he told RFE/RL, adding that both nations remain in a position to strike.
"The Iranians have the ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz. So both can revert to previous postures if this deal fails to hold."
The last-minute move came amid global concerns over Trump's remarks on wiping out Iranian civilization, with Pope Leo, an American, suggesting it was "truly unacceptable" and others warning against attacks on civilian infrastructure.
SEE ALSO:
EU Groups Looking At Energy-Saving Measures In Response To Iran War CrisisThere had been few signs that the sides were ready for compromise in the war, which began with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28, and little overlap between proposals put forth by Washington and Tehran.
"The cease-fire, should it hold, could serve as a more general off ramp to future hostilities. In this sense, escalation -- even the threat of it -- may have been necessary to precipitate the current de-escalation," Cale Brown, a former deputy spokesperson during Trump's first administration and chairman of Polaris National Security, told RFE/RL.
US Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she welcomed a temporary cease-fire to stop the fighting with Iran, though concerns remain over what the war has achieved, citing a sharp increase in gas prices, the "enormous disruption" to the global economy, and the deaths of 13 US service members.
"Diplomacy is the only way forward. There must now be an intensive diplomatic effort, alongside our allies, to conclude this conflict and ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon," the senator from New Hampshire said in a statement late on April 7 after the cease-fire deal was announced.