The United States, Israel, and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire early Wednesday. Many hope the ceasefire will lead to a permanent end to the conflict. But the terms of the deal are unclear, and both sides reported strikes later on Wednesday.
President Trump threatened Tuesday on social media that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping route vital to the global economy.
Officials from Pakistan and other intermediary countries led urgent negotiations. According to anonymous officials, China also pressured Iran to accept the deal. China is Iran’s biggest trade partner.
Iran consented to open the Strait of Hormuz Thursday or Friday. It says it will charge ships fees to pass through the strait. This practice would provide Iran with a new source of income.
In a social media post, President Trump wrote that American ships will remain around the strait to make sure vessels can pass. He also says that the United States will work with Iran to remove enriched uranium from the country, preventing the construction of nuclear weapons.
Pakistan says the ceasefire also applies to Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
But Israel states that it will continue ground operations, asserting that Lebanon is not included in the deal. Heavy airstrikes in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, continued Wednesday morning.
Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time. Then hostilities appeared to restart.
Iranian state television reported an attack on an Iranian oil refinery. It did not say who launched the attack.
Iran’s economy has been shattered by the war. Damage to industrial sites and factories left thousands of people out of work.
Arash is the owner of a small clothing factory in the northern city of Tabriz. “Even now I don’t know when I’ll be able to reopen,” he says. “It all depends on when this really comes to an end.”
One Iranian official claims that his nation’s economy will take years to recover, and that Iran “will face a disaster” if economic sanctions against Iran are not lifted. Iran previously refused to end the war unless Western countries lifted tariffs and sanctions.
President Trump says that “we are, and will be, talking tariff and sanctions relief with Iran.”
Pray for God to work in and bring lasting peace to the Middle East and the Gulf region.
