Trump offers 'help' in Strait of Hormuz; ceasefire 'does not include Lebanon' — as it happened

Danish shipping group Maersk said on Wednesday that the ceasefire between the US and Iran may create transit opportunities for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, but that it did not yet provide full maritime certainty.

"Any decision to transit the Strait of Hormuz will be based on continuous risk assessments, close monitoring of the security situation, and available guidance from relevant authorities and partners," Maersk said in a statement.

"At this point, we take a cautious approach, and we are not making any changes to specific services," the company said.

— Reuters

Earlier today New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined leaders from around the world in welcoming news of a ceasefire, but warned Kiwis that they shouldn't relax just yet.

Addressing reporters, he said it was probably "a matter of weeks" before the country's fuel prices came down.

He warned that even if the Strait of Hormuz remained open, the impact of its closure was going to be felt for some time, adding that inflation and economic growth were going to remain issues for his country.

"It was running at 125 [ships] a day, we've been running about four a day ... but I just want to be really honest there's a long way to go here."

— Samantha Jonscher

Willie Walsh, the director-general of the International Air Transport Association, has warned that it will "take a period of months" to get oil supplies "back to where we need to be" even if the Strait of Hormuz remains open following today's ceasefire agreement.

Speaking in Singapore, Walsh said that while a ceasefire would make it easier to transport oil, supply chain disruptions would be an issue for some time to come.

"Given the disruption to the refining capacity in the Middle East, which is a critical part of the global supply of refined products. And not just jet fuel for the other products as well," he said.

— Samantha Jonscher

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will travel to the Gulf to meet with leaders there to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open permanently.

It's the second time Starmer has organised multinational meetings to address the Strait's reopening, after holding virtual talks last week that excluded the United States.

"I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world," Starmer said in a statement.

"Together with our partners, we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz."

He has been heavily criticised by US President Donald Trump for failing to support the US and Israel's strikes on Iran.

This visit was planned before the ceasefire plans were announced.

— Samantha Jonscher

The ceasefire has generated some investor confidence, with the Australian share market trading at its highest level since early March.

The S&P/ASX200 gained 233 points on Wednesday, up 2.55 per cent to 8,951.8, as the broader All Ordinaries lifted by 244.5 points, or 2.74 per cent, to 9,165.7.

With Iran promising to provide safe passage to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices have also plummeted.

US crude futures dropped 15 per cent to $US96.31 ($132.24) a barrel, while Brent futures fell 13 per cent to $US94.71 ($133.78) a barrel.

— Samantha Jonscher

Explosions were heard in Bahrain's capital Manama on Wednesday morning, an Agence France-Presse journalist has reported, hours after the United States announced a ceasefire with Iran.

The Gulf kingdom's interior ministry said in a statement that civil defence crews had succeeded in controlling a fire that broke out in a facility "targeted by the sinful Iranian aggression", with no injuries reported.

— Agence France-Presse

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has welcomed the ceasefire, saying it was "crucial" to see ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz again.

"We certainly hope and pray that it sticks because we want to see peace in the Middle East but we also want to see oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz and this is crucial for prices at the bowser," Taylor said.

Asked whether he agreed with Albanese's description of Trump's language as "not appropriate", Taylor said he would not have used the same words — though it was unclear whether that referred to Trump's rhetoric or Albanese's characterisation of it.

"Look, they're not the words I would use," Taylor said. "But the outcome is what I want to see."

"We’ve got to a ceasefire. And that is what we welcome, and that’s because we want to see these ships moving again ... That’s the crucial thing for Australia.

— Alexandra Koster

Iran's 10-point peace plan is expected to underpin peace talks with the United States after more than a month of war.

Announcing the two-week ceasefire this morning, Donald Trump said the US had received the proposal from Iran and believed it was a "workable basis on which to negotiate".

Trump added that the two-week military pause would allow an agreement to be "finalised".

The US has not confirmed the contents of the proposal, but Iranian state broadcasters have said it includes:

1. Complete cessation of the war on Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen
2. Complete and permanent cessation of the war on Iran with no time limit
3. Ending all conflicts in the region in their entirety
4. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz
5. Establishing a protocol and conditions to ensure freedom and security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz
6. Full payment of compensation for reconstruction costs to Iran
7. Full commitment to lifting sanctions on Iran
8. Release of Iranian funds and frozen assets held by the United States
9. Iran fully commits to not seeking possession of any nuclear weapons
10. Immediate ceasefire takes effect on all fronts immediately upon approval of the above conditions

However, other reports have claimed that Iran is not directly asking for US-Israeli compensation but has demanded the right to charge $2 million per ship transiting through the strait. The money would be used to fund reconstruction in the country and the funds will be split with Oman.

Read more about Iran's proposal — and the US' own 15-point plan — below:

READ MORE

Back from the brink? Iran's 10-point plan to end war with the US

— Jack Revell

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran does not include Lebanon.

"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," Netanyahu's office said in a post on X.

"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.

"The United States has told Israel that it is committed to achieving these goals, share[d] by the US, Israel and Israel's regional allies, in the upcoming negotiations. The two-weeks ceasefire does not include Lebanon."

Lebanon was drawn into the war after the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel. Attacks on Lebanon by Israel — which launched a ground invasion in Lebanon's south in March — have killed more than 1,400 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry, and displaced more than 1.3 million.

Netanyahu's comments contradict an earlier statement by mediator Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said the US and Iran had agreed "to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere".

— Alex Gallagher

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, said it would suspend its operations in Iraq and across the region for two weeks.

The group, which claimed responsibility last month for downing a United States military refuelling aircraft over western Iraq, issued a statement following the announcement of the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.

— Reuters

United States President Donald Trump has told Agence France-Presse (AFP) he believes China helped get Iran to the negotiating table to agree to a two-week ceasefire deal.

"I hear yes," Trump said in a telephone call with AFP when asked if China was involved in getting its key trading partner Iran to negotiate on a truce.

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

He also told AFP the two-week ceasefire was "100 per cent" a "total and complete victory".

"No question about it," he said.

Iran's uranium would also be "perfectly taken care of" under a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran, Trump added.

"That will be perfectly taken care of or I wouldn't have settled," he told AFP.

— Alexandra Koster, Agence France-Presse

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has called the two-week ceasefire a "victory for the United States", saying the move was in line with United States President Donald Trump's initial time estimations for the war.

"This is a victory for the United States that President Trump and our incredible military made happen," Leavitt said in a post on X.

"From the very beginning of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump estimated this would be a 4-6 week operation. Thanks to the unbelievable capabilities of our warriors, we have achieved and exceeded our core military objectives in 38 days."

"The success of our military created maximum leverage, allowing President Trump and the team to engage in tough negotiations that have now created an opening for a diplomatic solution and long-term peace.

"Additionally, President Trump got the Strait of Hormuz reopened.

"Never underestimate President Trump's ability to successfully advance America's interests and broker peace."

— Alexandra Koster

Anthony Albanese has defended Australia's fuel security position, saying that Australia had its largest fuel reserves in 15 years as the war in the Middle East started, while also taking a dig at the Opposition.

"We have the largest reserves that we've had in Australia for 15 years going into this global event," Albanese told Sky News.

"In addition to that, we've made sure that those fuel reserves are kept here in Australia — not in Texas, which is what the Opposition leader did when he was the energy minister under the former government."

In 2020, under the former Coalition government, then-energy minister Angus Taylor announced a small amount of Australian-owned oil would be stored in the US' Strategic Petroleum Reserve — an emergency stockpile of petroleum held in underground tanks in Louisiana and Texas. The 1.7 million barrels stored in the US were sold in 2022.

Asked whether he wanted to build reserves back up to a 90-day supply, Albanese said his broader goal was "a more resilient economy".

Energy Minister Chris Bowen separately said the number of service stations without fuel was falling, with 221 stations across Australia currently without diesel — about 3 per cent of stations nationally.

— Alexandra Koster

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has distanced himself from United States President Donald Trump's threat to destroy a "whole civilisation" in Iran, saying it was "not appropriate" language for the US president to use.

"I don't think it's appropriate to use language such as that from the president of the United States," Albanese told Sky News on Wednesday morning. "I think it will cause some concern."

"We've said very clearly that the conduct of any conflict must be within international law ... for making sure that civilians who aren't parties to the conflict are given every protection possible."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcome the US-Iran ceasefire. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Asked whether Trump's threatened strikes on Iranian power plants and civilian infrastructure would constitute a war crime, Albanese stopped short of saying so directly.

"It's a long step between a tweet and that suggestion," he said. "What we have called for is a de-escalation, and that is what has occurred, and that's a good thing."

— Alexandra Koster

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the ceasefire announcement, saying Australia had been calling for de-escalation "for some time".

"Australia welcomes the agreement by the United States, Israel and Iran to a two-week ceasefire to negotiate a resolution to the conflict in the Middle East," a combined statement from Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong read.

"The Australian government has been calling for de-escalation and an end to the conflict for some time now."

"Iran's de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, coupled with its attacks on commercial vessels, civilian infrastructure, and oil and gas facilities, is causing unprecedented energy supply shocks and impacting oil and fuel prices."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia welcomes the ceasefire agreement. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

"We have been clear the longer the war goes on, the more significant the impact on the global economy will be, and the greater the human cost."

"Australia has been working with international partners in support of diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so critical supplies can flow to those who need it, including the most vulnerable."

The statement thanked mediators Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia for "advancing de-escalation efforts".

"Australia wants to see the ceasefire upheld and a resolution to the conflict," the statement read. "We continue to call on all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and protect civilian life."

— Alexandra Koster

The Australian Securities Exchange had soared by 2.7 per cent by 10.30am, around half an hour after opening.

Globally, oil prices have dived, bonds have rallied, and stocks are surging.

US crude futures fell around 16.5 per cent to US$94 ($133) a barrel, S&P 500 futures leapt more than 2 per cent and the US dollar fell broadly, having been the haven of choice for investors during the tumult.

The risk-sensitive Australian dollar rose 1.3 per cent to above US$0.70 and the euro gained 0.76 per cent to US$1.1683.

— Australian Associated Press

Despite the ceasefire being effective immediately, several Gulf countries have issued missile warnings.

Qatar's defence ministry said its armed forces have intercepted a missile attack and urged people to remain indoors.

Missile alerts have also sounded in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain.

— Alexandra Koster

Under the two-week ceasefire, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen on the condition that vessels coordinate with the Iranian Armed Forces, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.

"For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations," Araghchi wrote.

He added that Iran will stop its military attacks on the condition that it is also not attacked.

"If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations," he said.

— Alexandra Koster

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the ceasefire will extend to Lebanon, effective immediately.

"I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY," Sharif said on X.

More than 1.2 million Lebanese have fled their homes and been displaced due to fighting in the south of the country, according to Lebanese authorities.

Sharif added that both parties would be holding talks in Pakistan's capital on Friday.

"I warmly welcome the sagacious gesture and extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes.

"Both parties have displayed remarkable wisdom and understanding and have remained constructively engaged in furthering the cause of peace and stability. We earnestly hope that the 'Islamabad Talks' succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days!"

— Alexandra Koster

Good morning, Alexandra Koster here.

Thanks for joining our live coverage of the war in the Middle East after the United States and Iran announced they had both agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

It's been a rapidly moving start to the day, so here's a quick summary of developments so far:

• United States President Donald Trump announced this morning that there would be a "double-sided ceasefire" for two weeks. That announcement came about an hour before his pre-imposed deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening that a "whole civilisation will die tonight" otherwise
• Iran has agreed to the ceasefire and will hold talks with the US on Friday, but Iranian state media said talks "do not mean end of war"
• That ceasefire will extend to all parties, including Lebanon and Israel, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said
• Passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be allowed for two weeks "under Iranian management"
• Attacks have continued throughout the Middle East. Israel's military said Iran fired missiles into Israel moments after Trump announced the ceasefire, with Agence France-Presse correspondents reporting blasts in Jerusalem and Jericho in the occupied West Bank. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have issued missile threats and urged the public to remain indoors

We'll be bringing you more developments as we have them.

— Alexandra Koster