Trump Declares Two-Week Ceasefire with Iran to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran on the night of April 7 to 8, 2026, brokered by Pakistan, with the primary condition being Iran's immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump announced the agreement on his Truth Social platform, stating the truce would be "mutual." Iranian authorities confirmed they would allow shipping through the strait "in coordination with the armed forces of Iran." According to media reports, formal American-Iranian talks on ending the war are set to begin on Friday in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The ceasefire was brokered with the involvement of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. 90 (%) — drop in Strait of Hormuz traffic during Iranian blockade The maritime tracking service MarineTraffic reported on Wednesday that two ships had already passed through the strait following the announcement. The conflict between the United States and Iran began on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury. Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader at the time, was killed in the initial strikes. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of the world's oil passes, was blocked by Iran in retaliation for the military campaign, causing a sharp rise in global crude oil prices.

Trump claims Iran has undergone "fruitful Regime Change" Trump followed his ceasefire announcement with a series of posts on Truth Social outlining the terms of prospective cooperation with Tehran. He declared that Iran had "gone through a very fruitful Regime Change" and announced that there would be "no enrichment of Uranium." „The United States will be working closely with Iran, who we have determined has undergone a process of Regime Change that will prove to be very fruitful” — Donald Trump via TVN24 Trump added that the United States, working with Iran, would "dig up and remove all deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust,'" a reference to stockpiles of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried underground at sites including Isfahan and Natanz following strikes on Iranian nuclear installations. He stated the area had been under "very rigorous satellite surveillance" by the Space Force and that nothing had been altered since the day of the attack. Trump also disclosed that talks on easing tariffs and sanctions against Iran were underway, noting that "many of the 15 points have already been agreed to." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the truce as "a victory for the United States, which became possible thanks to President Donald Trump and our extraordinary military," adding that Trump had estimated from the outset that the war would last four to six weeks and that the main military goals were achieved within 38 days.

50% tariff threat targets Iran's weapons suppliers, but legal hurdles loom Alongside the ceasefire announcement, Trump threatened sweeping new tariffs on countries supplying military weapons to Iran. „A country supplying military weapons to Iran will be immediately charged a 50 percent tariff on all goods sold to the United States of America. There will be no exceptions or exemptions!” — Donald Trump via rmf24.pl Trump did not name specific countries in his post, but the main suppliers of military equipment to Iran are widely understood to be Russia and China. The announcement faces significant legal and procedural obstacles: as of Wednesday, no executive document implementing the tariffs had been signed. A Supreme Court ruling has stripped Trump of the ability to impose tariffs with immediate effect. The announcement mirrors a previous Trump threat — a 25 percent tariff on countries buying Iranian crude oil — which was also never formally enacted. Trump tariff announcements on Iran-related trade: Tariff on countries buying Iranian crude oil (before: Announced at 25%, after: Never enacted — no executive document signed); Tariff on countries supplying weapons to Iran (before: Announced at 50%, effective immediately, after: No executive document signed as of April 8, 2026)

Poland keeps fuel price cap despite ceasefire, urges Israel to halt Lebanon strikes Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that the government would "play it safe" and maintain the "Fuel Prices Lower" package — known in Polish as CPN — despite the ceasefire announcement. Tusk said he expected the positive effect of the truce to be felt at Polish fuel stations from Friday. „We do not intend to abandon this mechanism that we introduced, because we are going to play it safe. Especially since this cold is still very hot, to be honest” — Donald Tusk via Polska Agencja Prasowa Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański said the government would analyze whether to extend the temporary VAT and excise duty reductions beyond their current deadlines — April 30 for the VAT cut and April 15 for the excise duty reduction. Separately, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the ceasefire and thanked Pakistan and other mediators for their diplomatic efforts, while also calling on Israel to halt its ongoing military operations against Lebanon. Israel has continued strikes against Hezbollah, which it describes as a pro-Iranian terrorist organization, despite the US-Iran truce. The Polish MFA stated that any lasting peace architecture in the region would also require "a diplomatic solution to the issue of the Iranian nuclear and ballistic programs" and an end to Iranian support for organizations that destabilize the region.