NPR News: 04-08-2026 9AM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, President Trump announced the U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, a deal that came just one day after he warned Iran's "civilization could be wiped out" if it did not meet his demands. The announcement followed a massive wave of more than 800 U.S. strikes that, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, "completely destroyed Iran's defense industrial base." But reports of continued strikes in Iran and other Persian Gulf nations persisted even as the ceasefire was announced.

The U.S.-Iran Ceasefire and Its Limits

The ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran is the dominant development of the morning, but its scope is already contested. While President Trump framed it as a two-week pause in hostilities, Iran's foreign ministry clarified that his country supports the ceasefire but specified that it does not include Lebanon. This is a critical caveat because Iran's proxy militia Hezbollah is based there. Israel, for its part, announced it has fired on more than 100 targets in Lebanon associated with Hezbollah. NPR's Jawad Rizkalat reported from Beirut that multiple strikes rang out across the city, with ambulances heading to the American University Hospital as people moved to clear the way.