Many Middle Eastern countries reported incoming missiles and drones from Iran on Wednesday, triggering air defenses across the Gulf within hours of a newly announced two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
The U.S. and Iran agreed to the temporary truce just before U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline to launch massive attacks if no deal was reached. The ceasefire, if it holds, would open a two-week negotiating window with U.S. and Iranian delegations expected to meet in Islamabad on Friday.
The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, was contingent on the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said.
Iranian officials said in a statement on Wednesday that “if attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations.”
Tehran added that safe passage through the strait would be possible through coordination with its armed forces and with “due consideration of technical limitations” — caveats that may give Iran some room to define compliance on its own terms.
