Israel and Lebanon begin ceasefire, Trump says Iran may meet US over weekend

[WASHINGTON] A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect on Thursday (Apr 16) and US President Donald Trump said the next meeting between the US and Iran may take place over the weekend, adding to optimism that the Iran war could be nearing an end.

Trump said that Iran had offered not to have nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Teheran’s nuclear ambitions were a sticking point at talks in Islamabad last weekend.

“We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” he told reporters outside the White House.

Hours later at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, Trump went further, saying the war “should be ending pretty soon.”

The war with Iran, which began on Feb 28 with a US-Israeli attack, has killed thousands and sent oil prices surging, creating a major political headache for the US president.

If the Lebanon ceasefire clears the way for a broader peace deal with Iran, it would be a significant win for the Trump administration, which has struggled so far to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon.

Celebratory gunfire rang out across parts of Beirut early on Friday as the clock struck midnight, the time the ceasefire was set to go into effect. For around half an hour, the sound of explosions from rockets fired in celebration could also be heard, witnesses said.

But the pause in hostilities remained fragile.

The Lebanese Army said early on Friday that Israel committed violations of the ceasefire after it took effect, including the intermittent shelling of several southern Lebanese villages.

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There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which had said earlier that its forces remained deployed in the area.

In a post on X, Arabic-language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the deployment was in response to what he described as continued Hizbollah militant activity.

Hizbollah released a lengthy statement detailing what it described as its military operations against Israel throughout Thursday, which showed that its last attack came at 11.50 pm local time, 10 minutes before the ceasefire took effect.

Trump later issued a social media post urging Hizbollah to respect the ceasefire.

“I hope Hizbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!” he said.

Further Israel-Lebanon talks planned

Trump said in his earlier remarks to reporters that he thought the US had a chance of a deal with Iran.

“And if that happens, oil goes way down, prices go way down, inflation goes way down, and ... much more importantly than even that, you won’t have a nuclear holocaust,” he said.

The president said that he was not sure a two-week ceasefire agreed with Iran last week would need to be extended beyond next week, and added that Teheran wanted to make a deal.

“We have a very good relationship with Iran right now, as hard as it is to believe. And I think it’s a combination of about four weeks of bombing, and a very powerful blockade.”

Conflict between Israel and the Iran-aligned Lebanese group Hizbollah was reignited by the US-Israeli war with Iran. Hizbollah opened fire in support of Teheran on Mar 2, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon 15 months after their last major conflict.

Trump said that he had held “excellent conversations” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and planned to invite them both to the White House for “meaningful talks”.

He said later that the White House meeting could take place over the next week or two, and that if an Iran deal was reached and signed in Islamabad, he might go for that.

Trump said that 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 Israel and Lebanon to achieve lasting peace.

Iran welcomed the ceasefire in Lebanon, saying it was part of an understanding reached with the US and mediated by Pakistan, Iranian media reported, citing a statement by a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Signs of possible compromise on nuclear issues

Closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply flows, has caused the worst oil price shock in history and forced the International Monetary Fund to downgrade its outlook for the global economy, warning prolonged conflict could push the world to the brink of recession.

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. Teheran 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. Teheran 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 Teheran considering shipping part, but not all, of it out of the country, something it had previously ruled out.

A diplomatic source said that the key Pakistani mediator, Army chief Asim Munir, arrived in Teheran on Wednesday and had made a breakthrough on “sticky issues”, although Teheran said the fate of its nuclear programme had not been resolved. Trump has said the accord would open the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Munir’s trip had led to greater hopes for a second round of talks and an extension of the ceasefire, but said fundamental differences remain over the nuclear programme.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said troops were poised to restart combat operations if a deal was not reached.

A Pakistani security source told Reuters that Washington was offering to lift sanctions and unfreeze billions of US dollars’ worth of Iranian assets to secure a deal.

However, the source added that Iran would 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. REUTERS