Ceasefire violations were recorded in several places in the conflict zone in the Middle East on the afternoon of April 8.
This was stated by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, whose country is acting as one of the mediators in the negotiations between the US and Iran.
He said it “undermines the spirit of the peace process”. Sharif called on all parties “to exercise restraint and adhere to the two-week ceasefire as agreed”.
Meanwhile, Reuters sources reported that within hours of the US and Iran announcing a ceasefire, Iran struck Saudi Arabiaʼs East-West pipeline, which is currently the countryʼs only crude oil export channel, and other facilities. Before that, Iran reported a US attack on the Labuan Island refinery and threatened retaliation.
Iranʼs Fars news agency reported that Iran has suspended ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz amid Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Earlier, media outlets cited data from ship tracking service MarineTraffic to report that at least two ships had safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz this morning. This was a condition of the ceasefire agreement.
The fact that the Strait of Hormuz, in their opinion, has been unblocked was also stated by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kaine, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at a briefing at the Pentagon.
An Iranian official told Reuters that Iran could open the Strait of Hormuz in a limited and controlled manner on April 9 or 10, ahead of talks between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan. At the same time, shipping companies said they needed additional security guarantees before going to sea.
Iran also announced its intention to withdraw from the ceasefire agreement if Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon, the Tasnim agency reports. Before that, the Israeli army reported the largest strike on Lebanon since the start of the new war — within 10 minutes, more than 100 command centers and military facilities of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah were attacked.
Israel claims that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire with Iran, despite statements from Hezbollah, Pakistani mediators, and Iranian demands.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran responded by launching attacks on Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It is through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports — tens of millions of barrels a day — passed.
Donald Trump claimed that negotiations had been held with Iran, which were allegedly initiated by Tehran. During them, according to the US president, the parties reached an agreement on 15 points. One of them is Iranʼs refusal to give up nuclear weapons.
Against the background of the negotiations, the US suspended attacks on Iranian energy facilities until April 6, then Trump named another deadline — no later than 03:00 Kyiv time on Wednesday, April 8. The US president promised that if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz by that time, the US will destroy all the countryʼs power plants and bridges.
On March 30, Trump announced that Iran had agreed to most of the demands of his 15-point peace plan. To confirm its willingness to negotiate, Iran gave the United States a “gift” of 20 oil tankers that passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
On April 5, the Iranian military threatened the United States and Israel that “the gates of hell will open” if there were further attacks. President Trump had previously made a similar statement and called on Iran to accept a proposed peace deal.
On April 6, Iran, through Pakistan , submitted a 10-point peace plan proposal to the United States. The American president then rejected it, saying it was an important but insufficient step.
Shortly before the deadline, on April 7, Trump declared that “an entire civilization will perish tonight and never be resurrected”. At around 01:30 on April 8 Kyiv time — an hour and a half before the deadline — Trump announced that the US and Iran had agreed to a two-week ceasefire. During that time, the countries are to agree on a final peace agreement. Israel has also agreed to a ceasefire.
Trump called the 10-point peace plan, which Iran previously transmitted through Pakistan, a working basis for negotiations that should consolidate a full peace agreement in two weeks. Here are all the points of the plan. At the same time, The Guardian writes that the English version of the plan, which Iranian diplomats gave to journalists, does not include a point on Iranʼs right to enrich uranium.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.