US and Iran agree to two-week ceasefire as Israeli leaders across the spectrum call it a 'political disaster'

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7, suspending a war that had escalated to strikes on Iranian bridges, railways, and power infrastructure. The deal came roughly 90 minutes before an 8 p.m. deadline Trump had set with the warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight."

Trump announced the ceasefire on Truth Social: "Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and 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."

Iran's Supreme National Security Council accepted, but framed the pause on its own terms: "It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war. Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force."

The terms

The ceasefire rests on a 10-point Iranian proposal that Trump called "a workable basis on which to negotiate." Iran claims the framework includes:

• Controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz (not unconditional opening)
• U.S. commitment to non-aggression
• Acceptance of Iran's uranium enrichment
• Lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions
• Withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region
• Cessation of war on all fronts, including against allies in the "axis of resistance"

The two sides are expected to hold talks in Islamabad on Friday, with Vice President Vance likely leading the U.S. delegation. Pakistan served as the primary mediator.

Trump claimed the U.S. has "already met and exceeded all military objectives." Hours later, he posted: "Big day for World Peace! Iran wants it to happen, they've had enough!"

Israel's fury

Israel agreed to the ceasefire and suspended its strikes, but the reaction from Israeli leaders was uniformly hostile — from the opposition to the far right.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid delivered the sharpest condemnation: "There has never been such a political disaster in all of our history. Israel wasn't even part of the discussions when decisions were made concerning our national security. Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn't meet a single one of the goals that he himself set. It will take us years to repair the political and strategic damage."

From the far right, MK Zvika Fogel — chair of the Knesset's National Security Committee and a member of the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party — directed his criticism at Trump directly: "Donald, you really wimped out."

Israel Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman warned the ceasefire "gives the ayatollahs' regime a breather and an opportunity to regroup" and that "any agreement with Iran, without forgoing the destruction of Israel, uranium enrichment...means we'll have to return to another campaign under harsher conditions."

Regional leaders in northern Israel, still living under the threat of Hezbollah rockets, expressed alarm that Lebanon operations would also halt. Moshe Davidovich, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, said stopping the war in Lebanon "would be a first-rate ethical, moral, and security failure."

Prime Minister Netanyahu's office welcomed the ceasefire but emphasized the two-week suspension excludes Lebanon — a distinction that may prove difficult to maintain.

What happens next

The Islamabad talks will test whether the 10-point framework can produce a lasting agreement. The gap between the two sides remains enormous: Iran claims the deal includes sanctions relief and enrichment guarantees; the U.S. has not confirmed those terms. The ceasefire expires in two weeks. If talks fail, the war resumes — and Trump has shown he is willing to escalate to existential threats.