The U.S.-Iran ceasefire came under strain almost immediately after it was announced. While the Anglo-American establishment is a driving force against efforts for peace, the proximal source of the strain on the ceasefire is a familiar one: Benjamin Netanyahu.
When Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the ceasefire on Tuesday, April 7, he said the parties “have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Lebanon was included. And according to CBS News, multiple diplomatic sources said U.S. President Donald Trump himself had been told the ceasefire would apply to the Middle East region broadly—and had agreed that this included Lebanon. A White House official told CBS on the day of the announcement that Israel had also agreed to the terms Pakistan brokered.
Then Netanyahu called Trump. The U.S. position shifted. Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying the ceasefire “does not include Lebanon.” Trump confirmed the reversal in a conversation with NBC News. Vice President JD Vance, heading to Islamabad for peace talks this weekend, called the dispute a “legitimate misunderstanding.”
Iran does not accept that framing.