On Tuesday evening, as the anxiety, hurt and fear of millions settled into an uneasy and impermanent sense of relief, one sentiment was widely expressed: this is no way to live. This cycle of dread and panic, of being driven to the edge at full speed before someone slams the brakes, harms our nervous systems, and has the potential to break our spirits. Many people seemed acutely aware of this…
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President Donald Trump is expressing optimism for the two-week ceasefire deal that has been reached between the U.S. and Iran. However, on many aspects of the supposed deal — including management of the Strait of Hormuz — the president appears to still be at odds with Iran, despite implying the country’s leaders are open to his ideas about the waterway. Trump announced the tentative ceasefire…
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The United States and Iran have announced a two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, under which Iran has agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Israel is also part of the agreement, but it has said it will continue its attacks and occupation inside Lebanon. The deal was reached less than two hours before President Trump’s 8 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday for Iran to reopen the strait under threat of…
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have issued a new demand that Iran forfeit its uranium stockpile, or else face renewed attacks or a ground operation by the U.S. and Israel — a threat levied just hours after the start of a fragile temporary ceasefire on Tuesday. When asked if the U.S. has plans to force Iran to hand over its enriched uranium…
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This story originally appeared in Mondoweiss on April 08, 2026. It is shared here with permission.
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has temporarily halted, but Israel’s onslaught in Lebanon grinds on. Late on Tuesday, two hours before U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Iran that the U.S. would obliterate the country’s “entire civilization,” a temporary two-week ceasefire was announced by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the deal. Sharif stated that the terms of the ceasefire would also include Israel’s war on Lebanon, but on Wednesday morning, Israel launched a massive bombing campaign across Lebanon, killing over 300 people, according to local sources. The Israeli escalation leaves the state of the ceasefire uncertain, with Iran reportedly threatening to withdraw from the agreement if Israel does not halt its attacks, according to Tasnim News Agency.
The Israeli bombing campaign, targeting multiple towns in the Baalbek region as well as the capital, Beirut, continued through the height of the midday rush hour. Lebanon’s Health Minister told Reuters that Lebanese hospitals are “crowded with victims,” and hospitals have called upon citizens to donate blood, while a state of emergency was declared across multiple parts of the country. The escalation on the Lebanese front is central to understanding the stakes of each side in the ceasefire, and it is already putting the prospects of a permanent agreement at risk.
Both Iran and the U.S. announced the deal with notably different narratives, each claiming victory. Although Israel is a main party to the conflict, it was not mentioned by either side, which makes its part in the ceasefire uncertain. What is also uncertain is whether the war will permanently
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has reiterated that the call for President Donald Trump to be impeached or removed from office remains as urgent as ever after his genocidal threat toward Iran, regardless of the president’s announcement of a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday evening. In a post on X, Ocasio-Cortez said the deal “changes nothing.” “The President has threatened a…
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