US, Iran and mediators discuss terms for a 45-day ceasefire

[Twiglets1]

As reported by Axios, the U.S., Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war, according to four U.S., Israeli and regional sources with knowledge of the talks.

Four sources with knowledge of the diplomatic efforts said the negotiations are taking place through Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators and also through text messages sent between Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

• A U.S. official said the Trump administration gave Iran several proposals in recent days, but so far Iranian officials hadn't accepted them.
• The sources said the mediators are discussing with the parties the terms for two-phased deal; the first phase would a potential 45-day ceasefire during which a permanent end to the war would be negotiated.
• The ceasefire could be extended if more time were needed for talks, one of the sources said.
• The second phase would be an agreement on ending the war.
• The sources said mediators think that fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a solution for Iran's highly enriched Uranium — either through its removal from the country or dilution — could only be a result of a final deal.
• These two issues are Iran's main bargaining chips in the negotiations and the Iranians will not agree to fully give up on them for only 45 days of ceasefire, two of the sources said.
• The mediators want to see whether Iran could take partial step on both issues in the first phase of the deal. They are also working on steps the Trump administration could take to give Iran guarantees that the ceasefire will not be temporary and that the war will not resume.

www.axios.com/2026/04/06/iran-war-us-tehran-ceasefire-talks

Bessent says 'Operation Economic Fury' under way against Iran

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says "Operation Economic Fury" is now under way, with the US putting financial pressure on Iran.

He says Iran made the mistake of bombing other nations in the Middle East, and those countries are now being "more transparent" about the Iranian funds in their banking systems.

The US has requested that those nations freeze the funds of the IRGC leadership, Bessent says.

He adds that countries are being cautioned against buying Iranian oil. If they have Iranian cash in their banks, the US will consider secondary sanctions.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c20dd5ynxz9t

US and Iran are likely to resume negotiations on ending the war next week, according to Sky News.

It's expected that the next round of talks will also take place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

According to Trump's press secretary they "feel good" about the chances of a deal - but she also said nothing has been decided about a possible extension to the current ceasefire, which expires in a week.

Pakistani sources tell Al Jazeera that there has been a breakthrough over a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme amid efforts to see talks between Washington and Tehran renewed after last weekend’s inconclusive meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan.

What we learned from US military update:

• Hesgeth says the US will ensure Iran "never" attains a nuclear weapon, which he says can be done the "nice way" or the "hard way"
• The defence secretary tells Iran that the US is enforcing the blockade with "less than 10%" of its naval power, adding that Iran threatening to strike commercial ships is "piracy" not control
• He adds the blockade - aimed at stopping shifts entering or leaving Iranian ports - will last "as long as it takes"
• General Caine reiterates Hegseth's point that US forces are ready to resume combat "at literally a moment's notice"
• On the blockade, he says so far 13 ships have made the "wise choice" of turning around when ordered to do so, adding that the US has not yet had to board any ships

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c20dd5ynxz9t

@Twiglets1 thanks so do we think it's working ?

It seems like there will be a deal @RoyalImpatience - hope so anyway.

Trump is promising (or threatening) to visit Islamabad if a peace deal is signed, saying the US and Iran are “very close to making a deal” and “They want me”.

Last weekend’s talks ended without a deal but since then the US has imposed a blockade on the S of H. And a temporary ceasefire has been agreed between Israel & Lebanon, which was one of the key stumbling blocks for peace.

I was hearing that the negotiating team for the USA is weak and has no proper experience

Probably just the usual anti US sentiment.

To reach any kind of agreement with the IRGC seemed an almost impossible task at the beginning, given that on the Iran side they were denying that they would even enter discussions with the US. And because the US and Iran goals were so far apart. Yet against the odds it seems that they are close to a peace deal now.

Their chief negotiator is Steve Witkoff. It's true that he had no diplomatic experience before being appointed Special Envoy to the Middle East. But he was successful in helping to negotiate a ceasefire deal that ended the war between Israel and Hamas and getting all the Israeli hostages home.

Obama (via John Kerry) managed to negotiate the JCPOA with Iran so clearly it can be done.

Shame Trump tore it up.

Yes it can be done but obviously it was a very difficult task to get Iran to agree to start negotiations during this war and then to get to the point where both sides are apparently willing to offer compromises and concessions to get close to a deal being done, which we hear is on the cards.

obama managed it without triggering a war or closing the strait.

Yay for Obama.

Regardless of Obama being a better president than Trump which I totally agree with, my post was purely about the US negotiators.

You could have just said "JD Vance is leading the negotiating team".

This is what an Israeli ceasefire looks like. And this is what it’s worth.
A Channel 4 report from southern Lebanon.

https://bsky.app/profile/nicolashenin.net/post/3mjofxddeis2d

Except this strike happened before the ceasefire in Lebanon. As this story was reported on Facebook & also Channel 4 on April 16th:

www.channel4.com/news/ceasefire-in-lebanon-as-paramedics-mourn-colleague-killed-in-israeli-strike

Channel 4 News was at the scene of an airstrike in Lebanon that hit near a hospital just moments after a team of paramedics attended a funeral for one of their colleagues in Nabatieh.

It comes as President Trump has announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will begin later tonight.

More than a million people have been displaced by the Israeli invasion of the south, while airstrikes have struck across the country, targeting villages and major cities.

That doesn't make it any better, does it?

Hitting hospitals just before the ceasefire

It shows the misinformation in your comment This is what an Israeli ceasefire looks like.

If you want to make a different point about the hitting of civilian infrastructure in wars then fair enough.

Hitting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon is wrong I agree. So is hitting civilian infrastructure in Israel, which Hezbollah also did before the ceasefire:

Earlier on Thursday, a kindergarten in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya was struck amid a Hezbollah rocket barrage.

The Hezbollah attack resulted in two additional sites being hit. Israeli media reported homes and businesses in the region, including a McDonald's, were damaged.

www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-891936

You can't bring yourself to criticise Israel, can you? There is always a 'but'

More than 2,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in the six-week conflict, with one in five people displaced; Israel says two of its civilians and 13 soldiers have been killed

The Israeli military has warned residents in Lebanon not to move south of the Litani River as its troops remain deployed there.

The 10 day ceasefire is very welcome relief/start

I did criticise Israel by saying that hitting civilian infrastructure is wrong.

The problem for some posters on this board is that I don't criticise Israel enough to satisfy them. I don't pretend Israel are blameless but do feel obliged to defend them from all the one-sided criticism. Like your original one referring to an "Israeli ceasefire" before the actual ceasefire had begun.

Sorry but I cannot help but view it that Israel are not the only ones at fault when it comes to conflict in the middle East. Plenty of blame falls at the feet of Iran and their proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah too.

but do feel obliged to defend them from all the one-sided criticism.

The criticism isn''t one-sided though.

Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran are criticised and blamed all the time.

Criticism for Israel doesn't exclude criticism for the above.

Yes although it happened technically just before the ceasefire as in a number of hours before it and while ceasefire talks are ongoing, no one can view this as anything but a cynical move by Israel, completely unnecessary and once again putting medical professionals at risk.

As the Channel 4 News team follows paramedics mourning their colleague in Nabatieh, Israel strikes right next to the hospital.

This happened the day before escalating attacks just before the ceasefire is agreed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/16/israel-escalates-attacks-on-medics-in-lebanon-with-deadly-quadruple-tap?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

The people who routinely create posts solely for the purpose of criticising Israel rarely create posts just for the purpose of criticising Hezbollah, Hamas or the IRGC.

@Boolabus although it happened technically just before the ceasefire as in a number of hours before it and while ceasefire talks are ongoing, no one can view this as anything but a cynical move by Israel

Was it also a cynical move by Hezbollah that they also were making attacks just before the ceasefire and while ceasefire talks were ongoing?

• Even as the truce began at midnight local time, Hezbollah continued to fire rockets into northern Israel while Israeli shelling is said to have continued for half an hour afterwards

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cqxdg17yr2wt?page=2