Iran-US war latest: Trump announces Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extension after ruling out nuclear strike on Tehran

Donald Trump has announced that the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire has been extended after ruling out using a nuclear weapon on Tehran. “We had a great meeting with very high officials of Lebanon and very high officials of Israel”, the US president said from the Oval Office on Thursday. “They’ve agreed to an additional three weeks of no firing”.Also on Thursday, Trump dismissed the idea that he could use a nuclear weapon against Iran, branding the question “stupid”.Asked by reporters about the possibility, he said: “We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it.“No, I wouldn't use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody”.Trump ‌said Tehran might have loaded up their weaponry "a little bit" during its ceasefire with Washington, but ⁠that the US military could knock that out in about one day. The president has ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” that is dropping mines in the Strait of Hormuz, casting doubt over the fragile ceasefire.“Our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!”Italy dismisses Trump's suggestion of replacing Iran at World CupItaly has dismissed Donald Trump's suggestion of replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup.Paolo Zampolli, the US special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, according to the Financial Times.Italian sports minister Andrea Abodi said it would not be appropriate for the "Azzurri" to replace the Iranian team. He said, "first of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea".Italy’s finance minister Giancarlo Giorgetti called the suggested swap “shameful".Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is preparing to play in the US despite the war in the Middle East. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 April 2026 05:00Lebanon thanks Trump for hosting ceasefire talksLebanon and Israel extended their ceasefire for three weeks after a high-level meeting at the White House, Trump said last night.Lebanese ambassador to the US Nada Moawa, who went into the ⁠meeting seeking an extension of the ceasefire, thanked Donald Trump for hosting the talks. "I think with your help, with your support, we can make Lebanon great again," she said."The Meeting went ⁠very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah," Trump wrote on Truth Social.Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned armed group that is fighting Israel, was not present at the talks. It says it has "the right to resist" occupying forces. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 April 2026 04:45US burns through weapons stockpile in Iran war: reportThe US has burned through its weapons stockpile during its war against Iran, according to a new report. Around 1,100 long-range stealth cruise missiles, 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles and 1,000 Precision Strike and ATACMS ground-based missiles have been used in the war, The New York Times reported, citing internal US Defense Department estimates and congressional officials.Rachel Dobkin24 April 2026 04:30Iran War-weary Trump rambles on about sending his ‘pool guy’ to redo historic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting PoolDonald Trump on Thursday shifted focus amid an Oval Office full of White House officials and pharmaceutical executives — and with the US war in Iran entering its eighth week — for an extended ramble about hiring his hotel company’s preferred swimming pool builder to renovate the historic reflecting pool on the National Mall.The US president had been listening to executives from Regeneron — the company behind the Covid-19 treatment that saved his life when he contracted the virus in October 2020 — when he segued from talk about returning semiconductor manufacturing to the US to the renovations he ordered up at the White House and around Washington.“The other thing that we're doing that's taking place right now is, the Lincoln Memorial has a beautiful reflecting pond, or lake. He called it a pool, lake and pond. Everything is different, but the word reflecting is a good term”, Trump said.Read on...Andrew Feinberg24 April 2026 04:15Rachel Dobkin24 April 2026 04:00Israel says it hit Hezollah missile launcher in LebanonThe Israeli military has said it hit a Hezbollah missile launcher in Lebanon after it was used in an attack against Israel, the Associated Press reported.Hezbollah, the Lebanese Iran-backed militant group, said it fired rockets toward Israel in retaliation for a previous Israeli strike in Lebanon. Israel’s announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump said the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire would be extended by three weeks. The truce is formally between Israel and the government of Lebanon, not Hezbollah.Rachel Dobkin24 April 2026 03:30Marco Rubio says he's 'optimistic' of 'permanent peace' between Israel and LebanonUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he's “optimistic” of there being “permanent peace” between Israel and Lebanon.“I’m very optimistic that in a few weeks we’ll be even closer to the kind of permanent peace that the people of Israel and Lebanon deserve”, he said from the Oval Office Thursday. Rachel Dobkin24 April 2026 03:00Clearing all Strait of Hormuz mines could take six months, Pentagon warnsA US Defense Department official relayed the estimate to lawmakers during a closed-door congressional briefing on Tuesday, three sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.The assessment points to potentially long-lasting economic consequences, as the strait — now subject to dueling U.S. and Iranian blockades — is a critical trade artery that carried 20 percent of the world’s oil before the war.Read more from Brendan Rascius:Jane Dalton24 April 2026 02:30Israeli official questions fragile ceasefire: 'It's not 100 per cent'Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, has questioned his country’s fragile ceasefire with Lebanon.The ceasefire, which has been extended for three more weeks, is formally between Israel and Lebanon. But it's the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that has been exchanging fire with Israel, not the Lebanese government.“The Lebanese government have no control of Hezbollah and Hezbollah is sending rockets trying to sabotage the ceasefire”, Danon told CNN. “And Israel, we have to retaliate. Every time we see a threat, we take action”.The ambassador said the extended truce is “a significantly better situation. It’s not 100%. I hope …to see that the Lebanese military are actually able to implement and to enforce this ceasefire”.Rachel Dobkin24 April 2026 02:00Trump boasts about 'historic' meeting with Israeli and Lebanese officialsDonald Trump has boasted about his meeting with Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington, D.C., Thursday, hinting at a possible visit from the countries’ leaders. Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other US officials, met with “high ranking representatives” from Israel and Lebanon at the White House, the US president wrote on Truth Social. “The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah”, Trump said, referring to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.Trump mentioned the three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, adding, “I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun”.“It was a Great Honor to be a participant at this very Historic Meeting!” he said. Rachel Dobkin24 April 2026 01:30