Iran Gave 10 Demands. Trump Threw Them in the Garbage + 100 Bombs in 10 Minutes

Israel launched what it called "Operation Eternal Darkness" yesterday (April 8), hitting Hezbollah with 100 airstrikes in 10 minutes. Lebanese officials reported at least 250 killed and over 1,160 wounded. Lebanon declared a national day of mourning. It was the largest blow to Hezbollah since the pager attack, with dozens of commanders, senior figures, and operatives eliminated in a single day.

The strikes targeted Hezbollah headquarters, intelligence centers, missile infrastructure, Radwan Force sites, and aerial and naval units across the country. The IDF confirmed the elimination of Ali Yosef Harshi, personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem. Fadel Abbas Najm, Kassem's right-hand aide and bodyguard, was also killed in a strike in Houmine, southern Lebanon. Hezbollah commander Hassan Mustafa Nasser was eliminated in Beirut. Ynet reports over 1,500 Hezbollah fighters have been eliminated in the ongoing conflict.

Hezbollah launched 14 separate rocket barrages at Israel this morning, confirming it considers itself outside the ceasefire. The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) acknowledged Hezbollah is not covered by the deal. Israel and the U.S. secured a ceasefire that excludes Hezbollah while leaving Iran's proxies fully exposed.

250+

Killed in Strikes

100

Strikes in 10 Min

1,500+

Hezbollah Eliminated

How the Ceasefire Happened

Trump posted on Truth Social less than two hours before his 8 p.m. EDT deadline: "Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan, wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks."

Pakistani PM Sharif announced: "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," and invited both delegations to Islamabad on Friday (April 10) to negotiate a conclusive agreement. The New York Times reports the White House reviewed and approved Sharif's post before it went live.

Three Parties, Three Positions

Israel: Netanyahu welcomed the halt to strikes on Iran but flatly rejected Sharif's inclusion of Lebanon, asserting "the ceasefire does not include Lebanon." He said the ceasefire was "not the end" of the military campaign against Iran, only "a stop on the way to achieving all of our objectives."

U.S.: Trump told the press: "They [Lebanon] were not included in the deal... because of Hezbollah. That'll get taken care of too." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed: "Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire. That has been relayed to all parties involved."

Pakistan + Iran: PM Sharif called out the violations and urged "all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks." Iranian state media framed it directly: "The Iran–US ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the US must choose, ceasefire or continued war via Israel." Iranian President Pezeshkian told Sharif that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an "essential condition" for the agreement to hold. Iran says it will only join Islamabad talks if Israel halts strikes in Lebanon. VP Vance called it a "fragile truce," attributing the Lebanon confusion to a "legitimate misunderstanding."

White House Says Trump Threw It in the Garbage

Iran rejected Pakistan's earlier 45-day "Islamabad Accord" proposal and countered with its own 10 points. The plan calls on the U.S. to withdraw combat forces from the region, lift all sanctions, permit enrichment, compensate Iran for war damages, and allow Iran to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. Point 10 demanded the cessation of combat on all fronts, including Israel's confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

One analyst described the plan as outstripping the 2015 nuclear deal "in almost every dimension," calling it "not a nuclear deal, it is a comprehensive restructuring of the regional order in Iran's favour." The White House says Trump threw the plan in the garbage.

There's a critical discrepancy. The Persian-language version includes a demand for Iran to continue enrichment and for reparations from the U.S. Neither appeared in the English-language version released to international media.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council described the ceasefire as an "enduring defeat" for Washington, saying it had forced the U.S. to accept the 10-point plan as a basis for talks, while warning that "should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force." Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said "the enemy won't succeed in restricting Iran's enrichment program" and "no law or person can stop us." Trump at the press conference: "There will be no enrichment of uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried nuclear 'dust.'" Iran's Persian-language documents say the opposite.

"The enriched uranium will come out of Iran either by agreement or by the resumption of fighting."

— PM Netanyahu · Security Cabinet

230 Tankers Waiting, Strait Still Closed

Iran confirmed it would coordinate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire. Iran and Oman plan to charge transit fees for vessels passing through, with funds earmarked for reconstruction. The IRGC set up a "safe corridor" routing ships through Iranian territorial waters and charging $2 million per vessel, split with Oman.

Then it got complicated. Iranian parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf released a statement on April 8 accusing the U.S. of violating three key clauses of the framework, including the failure to comply with a ceasefire in Lebanon. Iranian media reported Hormuz traffic was being suspended in response. Leavitt called the closure reports "completely unacceptable" and said "what they're saying publicly is different privately."

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company reports about 230 oil tankers are ready to transit, but the strait remains blocked. Trump issued a deadline for European allies to commit tangible military assets, including warships, to the strait. NATO Secretary General Rutte told member states that political commitments are no longer enough. Der Spiegel reports the demand is for detailed deployment plans within days. The European Commission says freedom of navigation must be guaranteed without fees or tolls.

The U.S. dictated the terms of this ceasefire. Trump's deadline forced Iran to the table, and American leverage keeps it there. Negotiations begin in Islamabad on Friday (April 10) under Pakistani mediation. Oil dropped below $100/barrel on the announcement but climbed back above $97 as skepticism about the ceasefire's durability set in. Leavitt confirmed Chinese involvement in the negotiations. The nuclear file stays in Washington's hands, and Lebanon is the fault line. Iran insists Lebanon is in. The U.S. and Israel say it isn't, and Israel is actively striking Hezbollah while the ceasefire is nominally in effect. If Iran walks from Islamabad over Lebanon, the two-week window collapses and the full U.S. military posture stays in place.

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