Live Updates: Iran accuses U.S. of violating ceasefire deal framework as Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue

Following his meeting with President Trump, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told CNN's Jake Tapper that Mr. Trump is "clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point."

Rutte said he laid out the many ways that NATO allies were helping the U.S. and said it was a "very frank, very open discussion, but also a discussion between two good friends."

Rutte wouldn't say whether Mr. Trump discussed the U.S. leaving NATO or how worried he was over that possibility. 

Mr. Trump told Reuters last week that he was "absolutely" considering leaving the alliance over a perceived lack of support with Iran, although the law says he can't do so without congressional approval. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also recently said, "We are going to have to reexamine that relationship," after the war in Iran concludes.

Following the meeting Wednesday with Rutte, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE"

In his CNN interview, Rutte said NATO feels strongly Iran should not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads. 

Lebanon's health ministry said that Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 182 people, the highest single-day death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Israel launched a barrage of strikes in central Beirut and elsewhere in the country as a shaky ceasefire took effect between the U.S. and Iran. Iranian officials have maintained that the deal was supposed to include Lebanon, while Israel and the U.S. have insisted that it does not.

Another 890 people were wounded in the strikes, the ministry said. Altogether, 1,739 people have been killed and 5,873 wounded in Lebanon in just over five weeks since the outbreak of the war.

President Trump's meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday has ended, a White House official told CBS News. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr. Trump would discuss the possibility of pulling the U.S. out of the alliance during the meeting.

Mr. Trump has long been critical of the U.S.'s NATO allies, going back to his first campaign for president. Recently, he has lashed out at the alliance for not doing more to aid the U.S.'s war in.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with both President Trump and Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday, telling them "their decision to accept a ceasefire was the best possible one," he wrote on social media.

"I expressed my hope that the ceasefire will be fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon,' Macron wrote, despite the U.S.'s repeated insistence that Lebanon is not part of the agreement. "This is a necessary condition for the ceasefire to be credible and lasting."

Macron urged both sides to continue negotiations while addressing "the concerns raised by Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its regional policy and its actions obstructing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."

Macron said he also discussed these issues with the leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Iraq.

Speaking to reporters before leaving Hungary, Vice President JD Vance responded to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's claims that the U.S. has violated three components of the ceasefire agreement, saying that if Ghalibaf only has three points of disagreement, there must be quite a lot of agreement.

"Ceasefires are always messy," the vice president said, noting that an hour after President Trump announced the ceasefire, there were several missile launches, leading the Israelis and then some of the Gulf Arab states to respond. 

"This is the nature of a ceasefire," he said. "No ceasefire ever goes without a little bit of choppiness. What we have been very clear about is that we want to stop the bombing. We want our allies to stop the bombing, and we want the Iranians to do the same thing. We're seeing evidence that things are going in the right direction, but it's going to take a little time."

Vance said he found it "fascinating" that Ghalibaf said Iran refuses the "right" to give up uranium. 

"We don't really concern ourselves with what they claim they have the right to do. We concern ourselves with what they actually do," the vice president said. 

On Lebanon not being included in the ceasefire agreement, Vance reiterated that he thinks it's a "reasonable misunderstanding" between the parties. 

Speaking to reporters before leaving Hungary, Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. "never made that promise" that a ceasefire would include Lebanon, where Israeli strikes appear to be continuing. That was a "misunderstanding" on the part of the Iranians, he said. 

"First of all, I actually think, and there's a lot of bad faith negotiation and a lot of bad faith, you know, propaganda going on," Vance told reporters on Air Force Two. "I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't. We never made that promise. We never indicated that was going to be the case. What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran, and the ceasefire would be focused on America's allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states."

"Look, if Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice," he added. "We think that would be dumb, but that's their choice." 

House Democrats will try to pass a war powers resolution to limit President Trump's ability to further strike Iran during the lower chamber's pro forma session on Thursday, according to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 

"To the extent Republican leadership refuses to bring Congress back this week, House Democrats will demand passage of the War Powers Resolution introduced by Ranking Member Greg Meeks via unanimous consent at the next pro forma session on Thursday, April 9 at 11:30 a.m. sharp," he wrote in a letter to Democratic members Wednesday. 

The New York Democrat called the two-week ceasefire "woefully insufficient." 

The effort is unlikely to be successful, however, as it takes just one Republican to object. 

Jeffries also said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, will brief members on the 25th Amendment on Friday afternoon. Dozens of Democrats called for the president's Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office after he threatened to wipe out a "whole civilization" if Iran did not agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

The UAE said Wednesday that Iran should pay for damage caused by its Gulf attacks, adding that it was seeking clarification on how the ceasefire will ensure Tehran ceases hostilities and reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

During more than a month of war, Iran launched attacks on its regional neighbors, hitting the UAE more than any other country.

The UAE called for addressing Iran's "full range of threats including its nuclear capabilities, ballistic missiles, drones" and proxies, while "ending threats to freedom of navigation, as well as economic warfare and piracy in the Strait of Hormuz." 

Iran's attacks have soured its ties with the Gulf states after years of detente between the former foes. The attacks "necessitate a firm position, including ensuring that Iran is held accountable and fully liable for damages and reparations," the UAE said.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday that a ceasefire and negotiations with the U.S. on ending the war is "unreasonable" as he accused the U.S. violating three of Tehran's 10 conditions for an end to the fighting.

Ghalibaf, a key figure in the Pakistan-brokered negotiations to end the conflict, objected in a social media post to the continuation of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire was in effect and the Trump administration's assertion that it won't accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities as part of an agreement to end the conflict.

Meanwhile, Araghchi insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu and President Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon.

"The world sees the massacres in Lebanon," Araghchi said in a post on X. "The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments."

Netanyahu said that the U.S. and Israel have "achieved tremendous accomplishments" in Iran, including destroying Iran's missile production capabilities, stopping the country's nuclear development, and making new alliances in the region. 

"These are achievements that, until recently, seemed imaginary: Iran is weaker than ever; Israel is stronger than ever," Netanyahu said in his first address since the ceasefire was enacted. "We still have objectives to complete, and we will achieve them, either through agreement or by renewing the fighting – because we are prepared to return to combat at any moment required; our finger is on the trigger." 

Netanyahu said that the temporary two-week ceasefire is "not the end of the campaign" against Iran but a "station on the way to achieving all of our goals." He said that without this war, Iran "would have long ago possessed nuclear weapons and many thousands of missiles," and said the war had "removed this existential threat from over our heads and set the regime back many years."

Netanyahu also reiterated that Israel would not cease hostilities against Hezbollah in Lebanon. He said that Israel attacked 100 targets associated with the group, which is backed by Iran. He also said that Israel is "choking Hamas from all sides" in Gaza.

Leavitt defended President Trump's rhetoric after his Tuesday threat that "a whole civilization will die tonight," telling reporters that "his very tough rhetoric and his tough negotiating style is what has led to the result that you are all witnessing today."

"I understand the questions about the president's rhetoric, but what the president cares most about is results," she said. When asked about her understanding of what the president meant by the post, she said that it was a "very strong threat that led to results." 

Pressed on the question and asked how the U.S. can claim to have moral high ground, Leavitt pointed to Mr. Trump's actions over the course of the war and the work of the U.S. military,  which she said has "essentially taken out the military of a rogue, Islamic regime that has chanted 'Death to America' for 47 years."

"The president absolutely has the moral high ground over the Iranian terrorist regime, and for you to even suggest otherwise is frankly insulting," Leavitt told one reporter. 

President Trump is still considering withdrawing the U.S. from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and will discuss the topic this afternoon in a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, Leavitt said.  

Mr. Trump has threatened to leave the organization, in part over what he sees as a failure to come to the United States' aid in Iran, even though the U.S. and Israel began the attacks. He has urged NATO allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, to little avail. 

Leavitt said the president may speak after his meeting with Rutte, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. in the Oval Office. 

Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance will lead talks with Iran in Islamabad, with the first round of discussions set for Saturday morning local time. 

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law, will also be part of the negotiating team, Leavitt said. Kushner does not have an official role in the Trump administration.

Asked about Vance's involvement in the discussions to bring about a ceasefire agreement, Leavitt said Vance has played a "key role" since the beginning of the war with Iran. 

Leavitt dismissed any suggestion that the president simply accepted all of Iran's demands. 

The Iranians, she said, originally put forward a 10-point plan that was "literally thrown in the garbage by President Trump and his negotiating team." Many outlets, she said, have reported that initial proposal as being acceptable to the president and those reports are "false."

As Tuesday's 8 p.m. deadline neared, the Iranian regime "acknowledged reality" and put forward a "more reasonable and entirely different" plan, she said. The president and his team determined the new, modified plan was workable to negotiate from and align with the White House's 15-point plan, she said. 

"The president's red lines, namely the end of Iranian enrichment in Iran, have not changed, and the idea that President Trump would ever accept an Iranian wishlist as a deal is completely absurd," she said. 

Still, Leavitt didn't say what 10 points the Iranians presented that the president ultimately accepted as largely reasonable. She simply said Iran has agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz. 

Speaking to reporters in the first White House briefing since the temporary ceasefire was announced Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president is aware of Iranian state media reporting that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. 

Leavitt said "the president was made aware of those reports before I came to the podium."

She called the possibility of the strait's closure "completely unacceptable," and said that the Iranian regime is offering conflicting messages. 

"Again, this is a case of what they're saying publicly is different privately," Leavitt said. "We have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today. And I will reiterate the president's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely. That is his expectation. It has been relayed to him privately that that is what's taking place and these reports publicly are false." 

The Heads of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group and the World Food Programme warned on Wednesday that rising food prices and food insecurity would result from transport bottlenecks and increases in the prices of oil, gas and fertilizer.

"The Middle East war is upending lives and livelihoods in the region and beyond," they said in a statement. "It has already triggered one of the largest disruptions to global energy markets in modern history. Sharp increases in oil, gas, and fertilizer prices, together with transport bottlenecks, will inevitably lead to rising food prices and food insecurity."

They said vulnerable populations will bear most of the burden, particularly in countries with economies that rely on imports.

Lebanon said at least 112 people were killed and hundreds of others were wounded on Wednesday, one of the deadliest days in the Israel-Hezbollah war as Israeli strikes hit several commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning.

President Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire deal because of Hezbollah group. When asked about Israel's latest strikes, he said, "That's a separate skirmish." 

Israel had said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, although mediator Pakistan said it does. 

Israel struck 100 targets across Lebanon in a span of just 10 minutes on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Nadav Shoshani had said.

Black smoke towered over several parts of Beirut. Explosions interrupted the honking of traffic. Ambulances raced toward open flames. Apartment buildings were struck.

Associated Press journalists saw charred bodies in vehicles and on the ground at one of Beirut's busiest intersections in the central Corniche al Mazraa neighborhood, a mixed commercial and residential area. Using forklifts, rescue workers removed smoldering debris and sifted through ruins for survivors.

There was no sign of Hezbollah launching strikes against Israel in the first couple of hours after the attacks.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah commander in Beirut on Wednesday, after Lebanese state media reported that Israel had targeted a residential neighbouhood in the capital.

"A short while ago, the IDF struck a Hezbollah commander in Beirut," the military said, without identifying the target.

Hezbollah said Wednesday it has a "right" to respond to Israel's deadly wave of strikes across Lebanon, which authorities there said killed and injured hundreds of people. 

"We affirm that the blood of the martyrs and the wounded will not be shed in vain, and that today's massacres, like all acts of aggression and savage crimes, confirm our natural and legal right to resist the occupation and respond to its aggression," the Iran-backed movement said in a statement.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference in New York on Wednesday that Democrats will force a vote next week aimed at ceasing hostilities in Iran and requiring President Trump to get congressional approval before taking further military action. 

"Congress must reassert its authority, especially at this dangerous moment," Schumer said. "No president, Democrat or Republican, should take this country to war alone. Not now, not ever."

Multiple Iran war powers resolutions have been defeated in the Senate. 

Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Republicans will "once again have the opportunity to join Democrats and end this reckless war of choice." He called on the public to demand that Republicans join with Democrats to advance the war powers resolution. 

"Trump must end the war now. The only viable solution is a lasting diplomatic one," Schumer said. "A two-week ceasefire, especially one as fragile as this, is not a strategy, it's not a diplomatic solution, it's not a plan."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged restraint and that all parties respect the ceasefire agreement.

"Violations of ceasefire have been reported at few places across the conflict zone which undermine the spirit of peace process," he said on X Wednesday. "I earnestly and sincerely urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict."

Pakistan brokered the ceasefire and has offered to host direct U.S.-Iran talks. 

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said in a security alert Wednesday that Americans should not travel by air within Iraq "in light of the ongoing risk of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace."

"U.S. citizens in Iraq should leave now via overland routes," it said in the alert, which came after Iraqi officials announced the reopening of airspace and the resumption of flights at the country's airports.

It said Iranian-aligned Iraqi militia groups on Wednesday conducted "multiple drone attacks in the vicinity" of Baghdad International Airport and the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, which is a U.S. diplomatic facility.  

"They may intend to conduct additional terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR)," the State Department said. 

It reiterated warnings that militia groups aligned with Iran could "intend to target U.S. citizens, diplomatic facilities, businesses, universities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian targets."  

President Trump told the New York Post that in-person talks with Iranian officials would begin "very soon," although he did not specify a date. 

He also said the attendance of U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, was a security matter. 

"We'll have Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, JD — maybe JD, I don't know," Mr. Trump told the New York Post over the phone. "There's a question of safety, security."

Pakistan brokered the ceasefire agreement announced on Tuesday and has offered to host direct U.S.-Iran talks. 

The office of Lebanon's president condemned what it called "barbaric attacks" by Israel on Wednesday.

"Today, Israel is once again escalating its aggression, committing a new massacre that adds to its dark record, in blatant defiance of all humanitarian values and disregarding every effort toward calm and stability," the Lebanese Presidency said in a statement.

Shortly after Pakistan's prime minister announced the two-week conditional ceasefire on Tuesday, which he said covered "Lebanon and elsewhere," the Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement saying it "does not include Lebanon."

On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had launched its largest wave of attacks against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon since the beginning of March.

The Lebanese Red Cross said at least 80 people were killed and 200 others wounded in the latest Israeli strikes in the capital city of Beirut alone.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry welcomed the announcement of the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. as a step toward deescalation and regional stability earlier Wednesday, but stressed that no party has the right to negotiate on the country's behalf.

"Lebanon unequivocally affirms that it speaks with one voice — its own — and that no party has the right to negotiate on its behalf except the Lebanese state," the ministry said in a statement, "Any such action constitutes a direct violation of its sovereignty and national decision-making, noting that Lebanon has previously announced its readiness for direct negotiations with Israel, with civilian participation and under international auspices.

PBS journalist Elizabeth Landers said Wednesday that she had spoken with President Trump, who told her Israel's war with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon was "not included in the deal" he announced Tuesday evening for a two-week conditional ceasefire with Iran.

White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid on Wednesday that Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire agreement announced by President Trump on Tuesday, according to Ravid.

"They were not included in the deal. That will get taken care of too. It's alright," Landers quoted the president as saying.

He said Israel continuing its attacks on Hezbollah was "part of the deal — everyone knows that. That's a separate skirmish."

Israel has been at war with Hezbollah for years, but it has significantly ramped up its operations, including a ground invasion, since the launching its joint war on Iran with the U.S. on Feb. 28. 

Lebanese officials say more than 1,500 people have been killed, including about 130 children, by Israel's operations, which have also displaced tens of thousands of people across a vast swath of southern Lebanon.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said last month that Israeli forces will occupy parts of southern Lebanon even after the war, and that residents will not be allowed to return to their homes until the safety of Israeli citizens can be guaranteed.

Iran's Fars news agency, which is linked with the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Wednesday that tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was being "suspended" over Israel's continuing attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"Earlier this morning, after Trump accepted Iran's conditions and the ceasefire was established, two tankers were allowed to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz with Iran's permission," Fars said. 

It said "tankers have been suspended from passing through the Strait of Hormuz after Israeli attacks on Lebanon."

Iran's naval forces had earlier warned vessels in the Persian Gulf with a radio message that they must still seek permission to transit the strait, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Iran's Tasnim news agency, a semi-official outlet closely linked with the country's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited an anonymous "senior security source" as saying Wednesday that Tehran could pull out of the ceasefire agreement with the U.S. if Israel continues attacking Lebanon.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel did not consider its war against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon to be part of the U.S.-Iran agreement, the 10-point Iranian proposal that President Trump called a "workable basis on which to negotiate" when he announced the deal does include that parallel conflict.

According to an English version of a statement by Iran's Supreme National Security Council posted online by Tasnim, the 10 points include "stopping the war on all fronts, including against the heroic Lebanese Islamic resistance [Hezbollah]."

Tasnim quoted its source as saying Wednesday that Tehran was "assessing the possibility of exiting the deal should the Israeli regime persist in its breaches."

"Israel has launched brutal attacks on Lebanon since this morning, flagrantly violating the agreement," Tasnim said.

Iran's government said Israeli "ceasefire violations in Iran and Lebanon" were discussed Wednesday during a phone call between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir. 

The readout from the Iranian foreign ministry did not provide any further detail on the alleged violations of the conditional two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. that President Trump announced Tuesday evening. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel did not consider its war against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon to be part of the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran, and that war continued with a new intensity on Wednesday.

There were reports by Iranian state media earlier in the day of explosions near an oil refinery on the country's Persian Gulf island of Lavan, and on Siri Island, further southeast, near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. 

Earlier Wednesday, half of a dozen U.S.-allied states in the Gulf region reported incoming Iranian missile and drone fire, but there were no reports of serious injuries, and the timing of those attacks remained unclear.

Neither the U.S. nor Israel have acknowledged any strikes on Iran since the Mr. Trump announced the conditional ceasefire, which was brokered by Pakistan.

Araghchi "expressed appreciation for the constructive and responsible role of the Pakistani government" and to Munir personally for "his continuous and effective efforts to end the war and strengthen peace and security in the region," the Iranian foreign ministry said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday that it had "tracked and destroyed" an advanced Hermes 900 drone over the western Fars Province. 

The Hermes 900 is an unmanned aircraft made by the Israeli aerospace company Elbit and used widely by both the U.S. and Israeli militaries, along with many other countries, largely for surveillance and tracking, though they can be armed.

The IRGC said the long-range drone was destroyed over Lar, in Fars Province "by the fire of the IRGC's modern air defense system, under the control of the country's integrated air defense network."

The force added in its statement "that the entry of any enemy aircraft, American or Israeli, into Iranian airspace — even without carrying out a military operation — constitutes a violation of the ceasefire and will be met with a decisive response."

U.S. stock futures surged and oil prices plunged Wednesday as a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war eased fears of a prolonged energy shock that have rattled markets for more than five weeks.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,267 points, or 2.7%, to 48,079 in premarket trading. S&P 500 futures jumped 185 points, or 2.8%, while Nasdaq Composite futures rose 3.5%.

"Markets have been primed for this moment," Nigel Green, CEO of the financial firm deVere Group, said in an email. "Positioning had become defensive, volatility was elevated and energy prices were reflecting worst-case assumptions."

"A pause, even a temporary one, releases that pressure very quickly," he added.

Read more here.

Leaders of countries in the European Union issued a joint statement Wednesday welcoming the ceasefire announcement and urging "quick progress" toward a "substantive" agreement to permanently end the Iran war.

"The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days," they said. "This can only be achieved through diplomatic means."

"We strongly encourage quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement," they added.

The statement was issued by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Gioergia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as well as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and president of the European Council Antonio Costa.

They said they are in close contact with the U.S. and "other partners."

"We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon," they said.

They also said their governments will contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave a rundown Wednesday of the food — and the copious amounts of caffeine — that U.S. military personnel consumed during the Iran war.

"Along the way, we consumed more than 6 million meals, and by my estimate, more than 950,000 gallons of coffee, 2 million energy drinks, and a lot of nicotine," he said, adding: "But I am not saying that we have a problem."

On a more serious note, Caine expressed his gratitude for the service and sacrifice made by U.S. forces during Operation Epic Fury. 

"This is gritty and unforgiving business. It's chaotic, it's hot, it's dark, is unpredictable, and there's always unknowns. And our people proudly walked into those unknowns and continue forward, and through it all, the joint force has demonstrated the unwavering resolve that the nation demands of us," Caine said. 

"We are a mission-focused force and our objective always is to create the conditions for peace, and today we have," he said, adding that the U.S. military remained at the ready, "should that peace break, which we hope it is not."

Israel on Wednesday conducted its largest wave of strikes against Hezbollah since March 1, hitting 100 targets across Lebanon in a span of just 10 minutes, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Nadav Shoshani said. 

The strikes were aimed at limiting Hezbollah's capabilities moving forward and disrupting the Lebanon-based Iranian proxy group's ability to carry out future attacks against Israeli civilians, Shoshani said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said it was the "largest concentrated blow Hezbollah has suffered" since the pager operation that saw hundreds of handheld pagers explode near simultaneously in Lebanon.

The IDF believes it has killed more than 1,100 Hezbollah members during the war, Shoshani said, lauding what he called "great achievements" in Iran and "good achievements" against Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

But he said "the threat remains on Israeli civilians" from Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the U.S. ceasefire agreement with Iran did not include Israel's parallel war against Hezbollah. 

The Iranian 10-point proposal that Mr. Trump said would form the basis for direct U.S.-Iran negotiations expected to begin soon under the ceasefire calls, however, for a cessation of all U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and its regional allies. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday called the ceasefire agreement announced by President Trump the "fruit of the blood" of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike in the opening salvo of the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28.

Pezeshkian said on X that from today on, "we will continue to stand together" in diplomacy, defense and service.

Asked about Mr. Trump's threat to wipe out "a whole civilization" in Iran if no deal had been reached by Tuesday evening, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday that the military had been ready, with a "target set, locked and loaded."

U.S. forces were prepared to strike infrastructure including bridges and power plants, which Hegseth said are used for both civilian and military purposes, as well as military targets on Iran's Kharg Island.

"We had a lot of legitimate targets," Hegseth said. "They knew exactly the scope of what we were capable of."

The defense secretary said Iran ultimately understood its ability to produce and generate power, "was in our hands, was in President Trump's hands."

"That's why they came to the table. We ultimately said we can take it all from you, your ability to export energy will be taken away, and the United States military has the ability to strike those things with impunity," he said. "That type of threat is what brought them to the place where they effectively said, okay, we want to cut this deal." 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Wednesday Iran may hand its enriched uranium over to the U.S. "voluntarily." 

Iran is believed to have about 1,000 pounds of 60% enriched uranium buried under one of its heavily damaged nuclear facilities. It would be a relatively short technological step to further enrich the material to the 90% purity required to make a nuclear weapon - if it can be accessed.

Iran has given no indication that it is willing to hand its uranium stockpile over to any third party. 

"Right now, it's buried, and we're watching it," Hegseth said. "We know exactly what they have and they know that. And they will either give it to us, which the president has laid out, they'll give it to us voluntarily, we'll get it, we'll take it, we'll take it out. Or if we have to do something else ourselves, like we did in [Operation] Midnight Hammer or something like that, we reserve that opportunity."

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Iran was still requiring all ships to request permission from its military forces to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump said Tuesday that the two-week ceasefire with Iran was "subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz."

Iran's navy told ships anchored near the strait on Wednesday, however, that they still "must receive permission from Iranian Sepah navy for passing through the strait," warning in an audio recording broadcast by radio to all vessels in the region that if they attempted to transit the waterway without permission, they would "be destroyed." 

The Journal said a recording of the radio message was shared with the newspaper by a crew member aboard a vessel in the region.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued a new "urgent warning" to residents in parts of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Wednesday to flee their homes as Israel continued ramping up its war against the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country would respect the ceasefire announced by President Trump and halt its attacks on Iran, but that the agreement would not impact Israel's parallel war against Hezbollah.

The 10-point Iranian proposal that both President Trump and the Iranian regime say will form the basis of direct U.S.-Iran negotiations toward a permanent peace agreement over the next two weeks include a call for the cessation of all hostilities in the region, including Israel's war in Lebanon.

But Israel has indicated no willingness to slow the advance of its offensive against Hezbollah, after which it has vowed to occupy a significant portion of southern Lebanon. 

The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it had recently completed the "largest attack carried out against the infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah since the start of" the war with Iran, "targeting command centers and military infrastructure" of the the Iranian-backed group in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.

In his warning on Wednesday Adraee warned residents in specific areas of Tyre that Hezbollah "activity compels the IDF to operate against it. The IDF does not wish to harm you. For your safety, we urge you to evacuate your homes at once and move north toward the Al-Zahrani River."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the U.S. military's job in Iran is done for now.

"Now we have a chance at real peace and a real deal," he said. "The war department, for now - for now - has done its part. We stand ready in the background to ensure Iran upholds every reasonable term. And as everybody knows, nobody makes a better deal than President Trump," said the defense secretary. 

He thanked the service members involved in Operation Epic Fury, but encouraged them to "stay vigilant, and stay ready." 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged that Iran can and still may shoot missiles, as it appeared to be doing Wednesday, at various Persian Gulf states. 

But Hegseth warned it would be "very, very unwise" for Iran to do so. 

"What little they have left buried in bunkers is all they will have," he said. "They can still shoot, we know that. Their command and control is so decimated they can't really talk and coordinate, so they still may shoot here and there, but that would be very, very unwise. But they can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers or build UAVs."

President Trump said Wednesday that any country "supplying Military Weapons to Iran" would be hit with a 50% tariff on all goods exported to the U.S.

"A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately," Mr. Trump wrote on social media. "There will be no exclusions or exemptions!"

Russia is the major supplier of arms to Iran, according to the Stockholm International Peace Institute. 

Existing U.S. sanctions already impose severe penalties on any nation supplying Iran with weapons, and it was unclear whether President Trump's statement indicated an additional punitive measure, or if the sanctions might be lifted as part of a peace agreement with Iran that could result from negotiations during the ceasefire.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth opened a news conference on Wednesday by saying Iran was "no longer" a threat to the United States and referring to the American war in Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Pentagon, in the past tense. 

"Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield," he said. "A capital 'v' military victory."

He called it a big day for world peace.

"Iran begged for this ceasefire, and we all know it," Hegseth insisted.

The head of the United Nations' maritime organization said Wednesday that he welcomes the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and is working "with relevant parties" to ensure the safe transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz following the agreement.

"The priority now is to ensure an evacuation that guarantees the safety of navigation," International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement. 

The MarineTraffic.com ship-tracking organization said Wednesday that two vessels had transited the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire was announced, one of them Greek-owned and the other flying a Liberian flag. They were bulk cargo vessels, not oil tankers.

Officials in Iraq announced on Wednesday that airspace was reopening and flights would resume at airports in the country in the next few hours.

The Civil Aviation Authority said Iraqi airspace would reopen on Wednesday, following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command said the aviation authority would issue instructions for flight schedules, and urged travelers to communicate directly with airlines regarding flight details, reservations and any updates on departures and arrivals.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement Wednesday that it would respect the two-week conditional ceasefire agreed between the country's leadership and the Trump administration, but keep its "fingers on the trigger."

The IRGC statement, shared on social media and by Iran's state news outlets, said that, "drawing on the vast experience of two imposed wars against" Israel the U.S., it would remain "prepared to create an even greater epic should the enemy make another miscalculation."

But in the meantime, the IRGC said it was "heeding the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei." 

"The enemy has always been deceitful, and we have no trust in his promises," the statement said, adding that the IRGC would "respond to any aggression with a higher level of force."

Jordan's military said Wednesday that two missiles launched by Iran were intercepted over the past 24 hours, but it did not say whether they were fired before or after President Trump announced the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

President Trump said Wednesday that Iran would not return to enriching uranium, and that its existing stockpile of 60% enriched uranium — believed to be buried under its heavily damaged Isfahan facility since U.S.-Israeli strikes in June 2025 — would be unearthed and secured in a joint U.S.-Iranian effort.

Iran has not said anything about such a joint effort or committed publicly to abandoning uranium enrichment under the conditional ceasefire agreement. Iranian leaders have long insisted the country has the right to uranium enrichment for civilian purposes, such as medicine and power generation. 

"The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change! There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust.' It is now, and has been, under very exacting Satellite Surveillance," Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that none of the buried, highly enriched uranium "has been touched from the date of attack."

"We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran," he said, adding that "Many of the 15 points have already been been agreed to."

Iran rejected a 15-point proposal by the U.S., responding with its own 10-point proposal that Mr. Trump and Iran's foreign minister have said will form the basis for negotiations over the next two weeks, during the ceasefire. 

Japan and South Korea announced efforts Wednesday to ensure ships belonging to the two giant Asian economies can safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

The office of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she held a call on Wednesday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during which she welcomed the announcement "as a positive development," and stressed the importance of "safety of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."

Takaichi "urged Iran to ensure the safety of navigation for vessels of all nationalities, including those related to Japan," according to the statement, which added that the two leaders had agreed to "continuing close communication towards an early de-escalation of the situation."

The South Korean presidential Blue House said, meanwhile, that the government would do its best to ensure the country's ships can pass through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible in the wake of the U.S.-Iran deal, under which Mr. Trump said Iran would allow safe passage for all vessels.

The South Korean government's maritime ministry said authorities had discussed with local shippers how to help their vessels pass through the strait, according to the Reuters news agency.

South Korean authorities have not lifted an advisory for ships to avoid sailing near the strait, due to ongoing risks in the region, but the ministry said it would provide full support for 26 South Korean-flagged vessels stranded in the region.

Reuters quoted an unnamed South Korean official as saying the government hopes to get those vessels through the strait during the two-week ceasefire.

Oil prices plunged Wednesday, staying well above pre-war levels but dropping below the $100 a barrel mark, and stocks soared after the United States and Iran said they had agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire that should see Tehran temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate lost almost 20% and global benchmark Brent Crude oil shed as much as 16%, with both trading around the $95 mark early Wednesday as investors heaved a huge sigh of relief after more than five weeks of war that has hammered supplies.

The euphoria sent global equities rocketing on hopes the crisis that has shocked the global economy for more than a month will come to an end.

Stocks in Seoul jumped 6.9% and Tokyo 5.4%, while Taipei added more than 4% and Mumbai 3.8%. Hong Kong advanced more than 3%, while Sydney, Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, Singapore and Wellington were also sharply higher.

London, Paris and Frankfurt extended the global rally, while U.S. futures soared.

Middle East stocks also rallied, with Dubai jumping 8.5%, the biggest intraday increase since December 2014, according to Bloomberg.

CBS/AFP

A maritime monitoring service said Wednesday that vessel movement was resuming in the Strait of Hormuz, with two ships moving through the vital waterway.

"Early signs of vessel activity are emerging in the Strait of Hormuz following a ceasefire," MarineTraffic said on X.

"Initial movements are now being recorded," it said. "The Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth crossed the Strait at 08:44 UTC, while the Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach transited earlier at 06:59 UTC, shortly after departing Bandar Abbas at 05:28 UTC."

MarineTraffic said that "hundreds of vessels remain in the region, including 426 tankers, 34 LPG carriers, and 19 LNG vessels, many of which had been effectively stranded during the disruption."

Both ships that transited the strait on Wednesday passed close to Iran's Larak Island, which analysts have said the regime is using as a "toll booth" to collect fees for safe passage.

The Associated Press, citing a regional official directly involved in the negotiations, said the plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge fees for ships to transit the strait. The official told the AP that Iran intended to use the money from its fees for post-war reconstruction.

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday afternoon its air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. And Kuwait's military said its forces responded to an "extensive wave" of drone attacks.

A gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi was ablaze after incoming Iranian fire, officials said. The fire stopped for a time, but then restarted.

Missile alerts were issued in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait after the ceasefire announcement. 

"Air defense systems are currently responding to a missile threat," the UAE's emergency and disaster authority said in a post on X. "Please remain in a safe location and follow official channels for warnings and updates."

Iran then said an oil refinery came under attack, with Iranian state TV reporting that an oil refinery on Iran's Lavan Island was attacked on Wednesday. The report said firefighters were working to contain the blaze but no one had been hurt. It did not say who launched it.

CBS/AP

At least three explosions were heard around Iran's Lavan Island Oil Refinery, the country's state media reported Wednesday, hours after President Trump said the U.S. and Iran had agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire.

It was not immediately clear whether U.S. or Israeli forces had launched new attacks on the island, which sits less than 10 miles off Iran's coast in the Persian Gulf, west of the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Mehr news agency said several explosions were also reported on Siri Island, southeast of Lavan and much closer to the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. It said the cause of the blasts remained unclear.

"Considering the need for both sides to adhere to the declared ceasefire, and according to the Armed Forces, any aggression against the country will be met with a regrettable response," Mehr said.

Vice President JD Vance, who is on a trip to Hungary, called the ceasefire a "fragile truce," adding that the Iranian foreign minister had responded favorably to the agreement, but that others in the country had been "lying" about what had been accomplished militarily and the ceasefire.

"This is why I say this is a fragile truce," he said. "You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truths that we've already struck."

Vance said that if Iranians are willing "in good faith to work with us," he believes they can make an agreement. 

"What the president has also shown is that we still have clear military, diplomatic and, maybe most importantly, we have extraordinary economic leverage," Vance said. "So the president has told us not to use those tools. He's told us to come to negotiating table. But if the Iranians don't do the exact same thing, they're going to find out that the president of the United States is not one to mess around. He's impatient. He's impatient to make progress." 

The EU's top diplomat described the U.S.–Iran agreement on Wednesday as "a step back from the brink."

"It creates a much-needed chance to tone down threats, stop missiles, restart shipping, and create space for diplomacy towards a lasting agreement," said Kaja Kallas, who is vice president of the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

She said she spoke to Pakistan's foreign minister and thanked him for securing the deal, but urged that "the door to mediation" remain open, "as the underlying causes of the war remain unresolved." 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she welcomes the ceasefire, which "brings much-needed de-escalation."

She also said she thanked Pakistan for mediating, adding, "Now it is crucial that negotiations for an enduring solution to this conflict continue."

Egypt's foreign ministry called the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement "a significant step" toward ending the war permanently on Wednesday, with a spokesperson saying Cairo would seek to capitalize on the diplomatic momentum.

"The decision by the United States and Iran to agree to a ceasefire is a significant step towards de-escalation in the region. We must now allow diplomacy to take its course. We shall continue to uphold our faith in diplomacy and allow dialogue to prevail," Ambassador Tamim Khallaf, the ministry spokesperson, told CBS News, adding that Egypt would "exert its utmost efforts to capitalize on this positive momentum to diffuse existing tension and bring the war to a complete end."

Iran's Supreme National Security Council shared a long statement on Tuesday lauding the conditional ceasefire agreement with Washington as a "great victory" 38 days after the U.S. and Israel launched their joint war on the Islamic Republic.

An English version of the statement posted online by Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the country's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Tehran had "forced the criminal America to accept its 10-point plan, in which the United States is committed in principle to guaranteeing non-aggression, continuing Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, accepting (uranium) enrichment, lifting all primary and secondary sanctions, terminating all resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA Board of Governors, paying compensation to Iran, withdrawing American combat forces from the region and stopping the war on all fronts, including against the heroic Lebanese Islamic resistance [Hezbollah]."

The Council's statement added that, "until the details of this victory are finalized, there is still a need for perseverance and prudence on the part of the authorities."

Announcing the agreement on his Truth Social platform, President Trump called the 10-point plan, which was conveyed earlier in the week to Washington by Pakistani intermediaries,  "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," Mr. Trump said.

President Trump said Tuesday that he had agreed to a "double sided CEASEFIRE" with Iran, less than two hours before his deadline for Iran to make a deal with the U.S. or face massive strikes on its power plants and bridges. 

"I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," the Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, arguing that the U.S. had "already met and exceeded all Military objectives."

He said the ceasefire, which he agreed to at Pakistan's request, was "subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz."

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Iran had agreed to halt "defensive operations," likely referring to its drone and missile strikes on U.S. allies in the region, if the U.S. stops attacking Iran. 

Araghchi said Iran's armed forces would coordinate "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz," but it was unclear what that coordination might involve. Analysts say Iran has, for the past week or more, allowed select vessels to transit the strait for hefty fees, using its Larak island as a "toll booth."