29m agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 5:05amThe latest from the Middle EastUS President Donald Trump announced a two-week suspension of bombing Iran subject to the immediate reopening of the Strait of HormuzAbout an hour later, Reuters reported Iran had agreed to the ceasefire and had submitted a 10-point proposal for peace to the US via PakistanLeaders are expected to meet in Islamabad, Pakistan for peace talks on April 10Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on social media that Lebanon was included in the ceasefireHowever, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the ceasefire did not include LebanonBoth the US and Iran claim to have won the conflict, which has stretched on for more than a monthTrump told AFP the US had won a “total and complete victory”, while the Iranian Supreme National Security Council said Iran had “achieved a great victory”.

7m agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 5:27am

‘Changed forever’: Iranian Australians on the war

Iranian Australians say no matter what happens next, this war will have lasting effects in the Middle East.

Iranian-Australian journalist Soraya Lennie has told ABC Radio there’s no way things will ever be the same.

“I think this war has absolutely changed the region, has changed the Persian Gulf region forever,” she says.

And for Iranian-Australian author Saeed Fassaie, watching the situation unfold from the other side of the world is distressing.

“At times, the psychological impact has been so overwhelming that it’s actually taken a physical toll — I’ve dealt with two serious bouts of digestive illness,” she says.

“Can you imagine what’s happening inside Iran?”

You can listen to analysis on The World Today here:

39m agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 4:55am

US politician calls for congressional review if diplomatic solution is found

Peace talks are scheduled to begin in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday.

Lindsey Grahm walks down a flight of stairs with a phone pressed to his ear(Reuters: Kylie Cooper)

Republican senator Lindsey Graham, one of the most vocal supporters of Operation Epic Fury, is calling for a congressional review process for any diplomatic solution struck.

“At this early stage, I am extremely cautious regarding what is fact vs. fiction or misrepresentation,” he wrote on X.

“That’s why a congressional review process like the one the Senate followed to test the Obama Iranian deal is a sound way forward. Fair and challenging questions with a full opportunity to explain, and a healthy dose of sunlight is generally the right formula to understand any matter.”

53m agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 4:41amUS to help with traffic build-up in Hormuz, Trump says in late-night social post

It’s just past midnight over in Washington, DC, but US President Donald Trump hasn’t yet wrapped up his day.

He has ticked off a few media interviews, including a brief call with AFP, in which he claimed “total and complete victory”.

Rounding things off, he’s posted to Truth Social, declaring Tuesday was “a big day for World Peace”.

“Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough! Likewise, so has everyone else!” he wrote.

One of the terms of Trump’s two-week ceasefire deal with Iran is that the Strait of Hormuz is immediately reopened.

He says the US will help with traffic build-up in the Strait of Hormuz.

“There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made.

“We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure everything goes well.

“I feel confident that it will.”

The president finished by saying this period could be “the Golden Age of the Middle East!!!”

1h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 4:23am

Analysis: Are negotiations likely to succeed?

Peace talks are scheduled to begin in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday.

But ABC global affairs editor Laura Tingle says there is a high level of doubt that a long-term agreement will be found.

“This position of the 10-point plan is a maximalist one from Iran,” she said on ABC News Channel.

“It is quite extraordinary that Donald Trump appears to have said, ‘That is the basis on which we’ll talk’.

“They are fundamental points of disagreement and it’s very hard to believe the US would actually accept.”

Tingle noted Iran’s plan includes lifting all sanctions and ensuring Tehran’s dominance in the Strait of Hormuz.

1h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 4:11am

Analysis: Question of Lebanon’s inclusion in ceasefire deal shows how fluid situation is

As we reported earlier, Israel is claiming Lebanon is not party to the two-week ceasefire deal agreed to by the US and Iran. 

That’s despite Pakistan (the deal’s broker) saying it is.

ABC global affairs editor Laura Tingle says the confusion shows “just how fluid this whole situation is”.

 “This was always the problem,” she said on ABC News Channel.

“When you looked at the 10-point plan, there was so much in it that was not going to be acceptable to America, yet Donald Trump was saying it was a basis for negotiation and you couldn’t see Israel ever accepting that Lebanon would be included.”

Tingle added that the statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has “really crystalised” that Israel is “only signing up to [the agreement] up to a point”.

“Now, the question is: Does Donald Trump bring Benjamin Netanyahu back into line? I think there’s a really big question mark over whether he has the capacity to do that.

“So much of the strategy, it’s now being revealed, has come from Israel, which has always been a bit of a suspicion. But reporting in The New York Times overnight has documented how this was all laid out for Donald Trump in the Situation Room by Benjamin Netanyahu. I think that’s really going to limit what President Trump can do now.

“But it also makes a really big question out of all this: What happens to the ongoing relationship between the United States and Israel?”

1h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 3:54am

Both sides claim victory after US, Iran agree to truce

Both sides have claimed to have won the more than month-long conflict that has roiled global financial markets and sent oil prices skyrocketing, with Trump telling AFP the deal was a “total and complete victory” for the US.

Iran too cast the ceasefire as a win and said it had agreed to talks with Washington, to begin Friday in Pakistan on a path to end the conflict.

“The enemy has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat in its cowardly, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation,” said a statement from the Iranian Supreme National Security Council.

“Iran achieved a great victory.”

The White House said Israel had also agreed to the ceasefire, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it did not include Lebanon, where Israeli assaults in response to rocket fire by Iranian-backed Hezbollah have led to more than 1,500 deaths, according to Lebanese authorities.

Israel had encouraged Trump to join the war against Iran, its arch-nemesis, and in the first strikes killed the long-serving supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump said he had spoken to Pakistan’s leaders who “requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran”.

He later told AFP he believed China had helped get Tehran to negotiate.

Reporting with AFP

1h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 3:37am

UN chief ‘welcomes’ two-week US-Iran ceasefire

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the US-Iran two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, his spokesperson said, while urging all parties to work toward long-term peace in the Middle East.

“The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of a two-week ceasefire by the United States and Iran,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

He added that the UN chief “calls on all the parties to the current conflict in the Middle East to comply with their obligations under international law and to abide by the terms of the ceasefire in order to pave the way toward a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.”

Reporting with AFP

2h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 3:22am

Got a question about fuel? Submit it for our Q&A

One of the terms of US President Donald Trump’s two-week ceasefire deal with Iran is that the Strait of Hormuz is immediately reopened.

So, with traffic potentially about to resume flowing through the crucial chokepoint, you may have some questions about oil and fuel.

If you do, let us know! ABC News energy reporter Dan Mercer will answer some this afternoon.

You can submit your questions to the blog by tapping the yellow “Login to comment” button above.

2h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 3:16am

Netanyahu’s office releases statement on ceasefireNetanyahu speaks at a press conference(Reuters: File )

 “Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

“Israel also supports the US effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat to America, Israel, Iran’s Arab neighbors and the world.”

Reporting with AFP

2h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 3:02amNetanyahu backs Iran ceasefire, Lebanon not included, Israeli media says

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country supported US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks, but said the ceasefire did not include Lebanon, Israeli media is reporting.

But Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, said earlier that Lebanon was included in the ceasefire.

Al Jazeera is reporting that Iran insisted on extending the ceasefire to Lebanon where Israel invaded in the south.

2h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 3:01amTrump says he believes China got Iran to negotiate

US President Donald Trump has told AFP he believes China has helped get Iran to the negotiating table to agree to the two-week ceasefire deal.

“I hear yes,” he said on a call when asked whether Beijing was involved.

Trump is due to travel to Beijing in May to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Reporting by AFP

2h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 2:58amTrump: Iran deal a ‘total and complete victory’ for US

US President Donald Trump has told AFP the US has won a “total and complete victory” after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran.

“Total and complete victory. 100 per cent. No question about it,” he said in a brief phone interview shortly after the announcement of the truce.

He added that Iran’s uranium would be “perfectly taken care of”.

“That will be perfectly taken care of or I wouldn’t have settled.”

Reporting by AFP

2h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 2:51am

Hope that fuel prices could come down if ceasefire holds: Bowen

Energy Minister Chris Bowen is hopeful the ceasefire can hold and fuel prices start to come down.

But he wouldn’t speculate on when that might be as it was a “fast-moving situation”.

“Obviously we hope a ceasefire takes hold and becomes the permanent arrangement. The sooner that happens, the better it’ll be for fuel prices around the world,” he says.

“If you’re asking me to … say with a great deal of certainty to predict events in the Middle East in coming days and weeks, I’m not going to do that because it’s a fast-moving situation.”

Bowen says the National Security Committee of cabinet has been meeting “most days” for updates.

“Australia is not a central player in this dispute, as we’ve never claimed to be. We weren’t consulted about the beginning the operation, we are monitoring closely,” he says.

2h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 2:35am

Don’t expect oil prices to fall much further, even if a peace deal is reached, warns analyst

While news of the ceasefire might have calmed oil markets, one prominent analyst is warning consumers that any relief will be limited and may be temporary.

Saul Kavonic, an analyst with MST Marquee, said a pause in hostilities could not undo the real damage that had already been done to energy infrastructure in the Gulf.

Mr Kavonic said as much as 13 million barrels per day of oil production capacity was “shut in”, meaning wells were not currently producing.

This represents more than 10 per cent of global oil production.

Mr Kavonic said the companies and governments that owned those wells would be unlikely to resume production until there was more confidence in a lasting ceasefire.

Even if the US and Israel could strike such a deal with Iran, Mr Kavonic said it would take months or years to repair damage to many facilities.

“This provides an offramp for Trump’s overly bombastic ultimatum, but not yet an offramp for oil markets or the war,” Mr Kavonic wrote in a note this morning.

“A two-week ceasefire would enable a release of some oil and LNG tankers from the Strait of Hormuz to market, providing some market pressure relief in May.

“This does not result in more production, just a release of storage on water.”

According to Mr Kavonic, the turmoil in the Middle East will leave a lasting damage bill for affected producers, as well as consumers.

He said the global market would be between 3–5 million barrels a day tighter than before the conflict “for the next few years”.

As a consequence, he said the oil market would return to a world of prices at $US80 a barrel “rather than $US60 a barrel”.

“Even with a peace deal, Iran may be emboldened to threaten the Strait of Hormuz more frequently in the future, and the market will price in heightened risk to the Strait of Hormuz going forward,” he wrote.

“A key near-term uncertainty will be if Iran ceases attacks on the region, as there are questions about who is in charge and the level of centralised command and control.”

3h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 2:23amIran’s 10-point plan

Donald Trump says Iran has provided a “workable” 10-point plan to the United States and it is a “basis on which to negotiate”.

It remains unclear whether this is the same as an earlier 10-point plan from Iran that Trump declared was not good enough.

Some details have been outlined in a statement released by Iran’s Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council.

It emphasises the following key points:

Controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran’s armed forces.Ending the war against all components of the Resistance Axis.Withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases and deployment points in the region.Establishing a safe transit protocol in the Strait of Hormuz, “ensuring Iran’s dominance according to the agreed protocol”.Full compensation for Iran “according to estimates”.Lifting all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions of the IAEA board (the International Atomic Energy Agency) and the UN Security Council.The release of all blocked Iranian assets abroad.

The statement also stresses the “approval of all these items in a binding UN Security Council resolution”.

“It should be noted that approval of this resolution would convert all these agreements into binding international law, creating a major diplomatic victory for the Iranian nation,” it said.

3h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 2:15am

Here’s what we know about the ceasefire deal

Less than two hours before the deadline Donald Trump set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, he said US attacks on Iran would be suspended.

Hours earlier he said the “whole civilization will die tonight”.

Iran has accepted the deal, based on a 10-point plan, but has emphasised “this does not signify the termination of the war”.

My colleagues, Annika Burgess and Brianna Morris-Grant, have broken down what detail is available:

3h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 2:07amCeasefire a ‘victory’ Trump made happen: Leavitt

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the Iran ceasefire deal is a “victory for the United States”.

She has praised the development with a post on X:

3h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 1:51amLatest on Australian fuel supplies

Energy Minister Chris Bowen is giving an update on fuel supplies.

The number of service stations without diesel and petrol “continues to come down,” he says.

Here are the latest figures:

NSW: 124 with no diesel, 27 with no fuel. Victoria: 40 with no diesel, 28 with no unleaded petrol.Queensland: 30 with no diesel, 25 with no unleaded. South Australia: 4 with no diesel, 2 with no unleaded. Western Australia: 8 with no diesel, 21 with no unleaded. Tasmania: 7 with no diesel, 5 with no unleaded. NT: 4 with no diesel, 4 with no unleaded. ACT: 4 with no diesel. 

Bowen says it is “good progress” but there is still more to do to ensure fuel continues to flow where it’s needed.

He also provided an update on Australia’s fuel reserves. We currently have 39 days’ worth of petrol and 30 days of diesel and jet fuel.

3h agoWed 8 Apr 2026 at 1:42amWhite House says ‘in-person talks’ with Iran under discussion

The White House is considering face-to-face negotiations with Iran but they have not been finalised, according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Washington and Tehran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

Leavitt says:

“There are discussions about in-person talks, but nothing is final until announced by the President or the White House.”

Iran has agreed to begin talks with the US on Friday in Pakistan.