Trump will speak to Mark Rutte about the US leaving Nato tonight: LIVE

US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth claimed today that Iran begged for a ceasefire

At a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth added that Trump achieved ‘victory with a capital V.’

President Donald Trump believes NATO was ‘tested and they failed’ during the Iran war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, sharing a direct quote from Trump ahead of his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House.

‘His very tough rhetoric and his tough negotiating style is what has led to the result that you are all witnessing today,’ said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, adding that Iran said they wanted a ceasefire because ‘they no longer could tolerate being bombed.’

Trump’s threats against Iran escalated over the past weeks, culminating in his Tuesday warning that a ‘whole civilization’ could ‘die’ in the lead up to an 8 pm deadline, which was later suspended after an agreement was reached.

‘The world should take his word very seriously,’ Leavitt said.

The White House confirmed that US Vice President JD Vance will lead the US negotiating team in talks with Iran aimed at finding a permanent end to the war.

Vance will lead the delegation, which is also expected to include special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, for the talks that are expected to begin Friday in Islamabad, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

‘Vice President Vance has played a very significant and key role in this since the very beginning,’ Leavitt told reporters during a White House press briefing.

‘Of course, he’s the president’s right-hand man. He is the vice president of the United States. He’s been involved in all of these discussions.’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that ‘the Iranians originally put forward a 10-point plan that was fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded,’ and that it was ‘literally thrown in the garbage by Trump.’

But, she said, Iranian authorities on Tuesday presented a new plan that will become a workable basis for negotiations to bring the Iran war to an end.

Leavitt said the new version of the Iranian plan can now ‘align with our own, 15-point proposal’ for peace.

Lebanon is not included in the terms of a two-week ceasefire arrangement between the US and Iran, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters today, Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the ceasefire deal with Iran is a ‘victory’ for the US.

‘President Trump stated this would be a four to six-week military operation to dismantle the military threat posed by (Iran),’ she said.

‘Thanks to the unbelievable capabilities of America’s war fighters, the United States has achieved and exceeded those core military objectives.’

Leavitt added that in just 38 days, the US military destroyed Iran’s defence industrial base and crushed Tehran’s ability to manufacture weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today told a press conference that despite a ceasefire with Iran, ‘this is not the end of the campaign,’ adding that ‘Iran is entering these negotiations while beaten and weaker than ever.’

Netanyahu added that US-Israeli strikes have set Iran back by ‘decades’, noting that the regime is unable to manufacture new missiles and that Iranian forces are now firing from existing stockpiles in warehouses.

He also vowed to end Iran’s nuclear threat, whether by agreement or by winning the war.

The Ministry of Defence has welcomed the two-week ceasefire agreed overnight between the US, Israel and Iran, calling it a ‘vital step towards stability and security in the region.’

The MoD added that UK fast jets have continued their defensive missions across Cyprus, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain.

‘We will continue to ensure the security of UK forces and support the defence of our partners.’

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned they will respond if Israel does not cease attacks on Lebanon, as deadly strikes killed dozens of people today.

‘We issue a firm warning to the United States, which violates treaties, and to its Zionist ally, its executioner: if the aggression against beloved Lebanon does not cease immediately, we will fulfil our duty and deliver a response,’ the Guards said in a statement carried on state TV, using a reference to Israel.

Israel says the US-Iran truce does not include Lebanon, which was drawn into the war after an Iran-backed group Hezbollah, launched attacks on Israel.

Pictured: Debris at the site of a damaged apartment building after an Israeli air strike in the Ain Mreisseh neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 08 April 2026.

Pictured: Rescuers search for survivors in the Fatima al-Zahraa complex in Sidon, Lebanon 08 April 2026.

Pictured: People gather at the scene of an Israeli airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighbourhood of Beirut, Lebanon 08 April 2026.

Pictured: Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike targets the southern suburbs of Beirut, Dahiyeh, Lebanon 08 April 2026

Pictured: Firefighters and rescuers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026

People stand at the site of an Israeli strike, in Al-Mazraa in Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026.