Politics
Israel and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire, says Trump
- EU welcomed Lebanon ceasefire announcement.
- Differences remain over nuclear programme: Iranian official.
- Lebanon-Israel to begin ceasefire at 5pm EST: Trump
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Lebanon and Israel had agreed on a 10-day ceasefire, as optimism grew that the Iran war may be nearing an end.
Trump said in a social media post that the ceasefire would start at 5pm eastern time (2100 GMT), aiming to halt a conflict between Israel and the Iran-aligned Lebanese group Hezbollah that was reignited by the US-Israeli war against Iran.
He said he had held “excellent conversations” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
“These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve peace between their countries, they will formally begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5pm EST,” he said. “Both sides want to see peace, and I believe that will happen, quickly!”
Trump said he had directed US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to work with the two countries to achieve lasting peace.
The war with Iran spilt into Lebanon on March 2, when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon 15 months after the last major conflict.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the ceasefire announcement, saying on X: “This is a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives.”
Breakthrough on ‘sticky issue’ between US and Iran
Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, since US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, triggering Iranian airstrikes on Iran’s Gulf neighbours and reigniting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Soaring energy costs have rattled investors and policymakers globally since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply flows.
Closure of the strait has caused the worst oil price shock in history and forced the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to downgrade its outlook for the global economy, warning prolonged conflict could push the world to the brink of recession.
But hopes of a deal between Iran and the United States have been growing, with a two-week ceasefire in force.
A security source said a Pakistani mediator had made a breakthrough on “sticky issues”, although Tehran said the fate of its nuclear programme had not been resolved. Trump has said the accord would open the Strait of Hormuz.
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, an important figure in mediation efforts, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict after talks in Islamabad that ended without a deal.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday the trip had led to greater hopes for a second round of talks and an extension of a two-week ceasefire, but said fundamental differences remain over its nuclear programme.
‘Locked and Loaded’
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said troops were poised to restart combat operations if a deal was not reached with Iran.
“We are reloading with more power than ever before, and better intelligence,” Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing. “We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry. We’d rather not have to do it.”
But a security source told Reuters a deal was closing in and that the US wants a breakthrough before the ceasefire expires next week. Washington is offering to lift sanctions and unfreeze billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian assets, he said.
Iran will open the strait only if a permanent ceasefire is reached and there are United Nations guarantees that the US and Israel will not attack again in future, he said.
A separate government source said the talks would be held “soon” in Islamabad, although no date has been set.
Stock markets have rallied strongly in recent days on expectations of a swift resolution to the fighting, with global equities vaulting past their previous all-time highs in trading on Thursday. However, oil prices gained, showing continued uncertainty about the ceasefire prospects and the opening of the strait.
Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a sticking point at last weekend’s talks. The US proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran — an apparent concession from longstanding demands for a permanent ban. Tehran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Washington has pressed for any highly enriched uranium (HEU) to be removed from Iran. Tehran has demanded that international sanctions against it be lifted.
Two Iranian sources said there were signs of a compromise emerging on the HEU stockpile, with Tehran considering shipping part, but not all, of it out of the country, something it had previously ruled out.
US President Donald Trump has said he could travel to Islamabad if a deal with Iran is signed there, signalling potential high-level involvement in ongoing negotiations mediated by Pakistan.
He added that if no agreement is reached with Iran, fighting will continue, and suggested the next round of talks could take place over the weekend.
On the ceasefire, Trump said progress was being made, adding that Iran is now willing to consider steps it had previously rejected. He also said he was not certain the ceasefire would need to be extended.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a ceremonial fighter jet escort from the Qatari air force as his aircraft entered Qatari airspace en route to Doha, marking a significant gesture of diplomatic goodwill and strong bilateral ties.
The escort was arranged as part of a warm welcome during the second leg of the prime minister’s tri-nation visit from April 15 to 18, which comes at a time of heightened Middle East tensions and ongoing diplomatic efforts to help de-escalate the US-Iran conflict.
Upon arrival, the prime minister thanked the Qatari leadership and the pilots for the honour.
During the flight, PM Shehbaz expressed gratitude, saying he was “honoured” by the escort and thanked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the gesture.
He said the honour extended not only to him but also to the people and government of Pakistan.
Upon arrival at Doha International Airport, the prime minister and his delegation were warmly received by Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi. A smartly turned-out contingent of the Qatari Armed Forces presented a guard of honour, underscoring the significance of the visit.
In a gesture marking the occasion, Pakistani flags were displayed prominently at the airport and across parts of the Qatari capital, reflecting the close and friendly ties between the two countries.
Senior members of the Pakistani delegation accompanying the prime minister include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, and the prime minister’s spokesperson for international media, Mosharraf Zaidi.
The prime minister will also travel to Turkiye following his visit to Qatar, the Foreign Office said, adding that PM Shehbaz will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where he is scheduled to join the Leaders’ Panel alongside other global figures and present Pakistan’s perspective.
It added that the visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar take place in a bilateral context, where the prime minister will discuss ongoing cooperation as well as regional peace and security.
Indian government launched a bid to overhaul its democratic system on Thursday, with bills to increase the size of parliament and bring forward plans to reserve a third of seats for women — though the opposition dismissed it as an attempt to manipulate elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the lower house of parliament the proposals — which would also increase the number of legislators and women in regional assemblies and redraw constituencies — would move India in a “new direction”.
“I believe that (women’s) voice in this house will bring new strength, fresh thinking, and a greater sense of sensitivity,” he said.
The government said the alterations to boundaries reflected population changes since seats were last fixed after a 1971 census.
Opposition says boundaries move unconstitutional
Modi’s National Democratic Alliance government does not have the two-thirds majority it needs to get the measures through both houses of parliament and is hoping to convince some smaller parties and opposition groups to back the bills.
Larger opposition groups said they supported quotas for women, but accused the government of seeking to manipulate the system to get more votes, and said they would oppose the changes when parliament votes on them this week.
“The government should simplify women’s reservation so that it comes into effect immediately upon the passage of the law,” the Congress party, which leads the main opposition alliance, said in a post on X.
The bills would increase the number of lawmakers in the lower house of parliament by around 55% to 850 — and make similar increases to state legislatures — by the time of the next parliamentary elections due in 2029.
The bills would reserve one-third of seats for women in the expanded assemblies by the same date. The one-third share was agreed in legislation passed in 2023, but that was linked to the next census which would take the changes beyond the next election.
The changes also need to be ratified by at least half the state legislatures before they can become law.
India’s parliament currently does not reserve any seats for women, who make up nearly half of its 968 million voters but constitute only 14% of the lawmakers in the lower house and 17% in the upper house.
About 10% of the lawmakers in the country’s state legislatures are women.
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