Israel, US strike Tehran on Day 39; ceasefire deal reached April 8
Confidence: HIGH (85/100) | April 08, 2026 | Tehran, Tehran, Iran
aljazeera.com
In one sentence: The US and Iran agreed on April 8 to a two-week ceasefire ending the 39-day war after Israel struck three Tehran airports and Iran's South Pars petrochemical complex.
Why it matters: The ceasefire, if it holds, suspends the most destructive US-led military campaign in the Middle East since 2003 and could partially reopen the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20% of global oil trade flows. Oil markets responded immediately, with prices falling sharply toward $95 per barrel. However, Israel has explicitly stated the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon, meaning strikes on Hezbollah continue, and the terms of a permanent deal remain contested and unclear.
What Happened Today
- The Israeli Air Force struck three airports in the Tehran area on April 7–8, destroying dozens of Iranian aircraft and helicopters, the IDF said, targeting what it described as Iranian Air Force and IRGC air force assets at Mehrabad Airport and two smaller airstrips, according to the Israeli military and the Times of Israel.
- Israel also struck Iran's largest petrochemical complex serving the South Pars gasfield — the world's largest natural gas reserve — and hit two electricity-generating units there, which Iranian officials called a 'huge escalation', according to Al Jazeera reporting from Tehran on April 7.
- On April 8, the US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, less than two hours before Trump's midnight deadline; Trump wrote that the US had 'already met and exceeded all Military objectives' and cited a 10-point Iranian peace proposal as the basis for continuing talks, according to AP and NPR.
- As part of the deal, Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for safe passage during the ceasefire period; oil prices fell sharply toward $95 per barrel following the announcement, according to AP, while the IEA had previously released 400 million barrels in emergency reserves to dampen prices, according to the UK House of Commons Library.
- Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel supports the ceasefire but that it explicitly does not apply to Lebanon, where Israel continued strikes on Beirut hours after the agreement was announced, killing scores, according to AP on April 8.
Contested Claims
- AP / NPR, citing Trump statements on Truth Social and public remarks: Trump said the US was negotiating with Iran to end the war and extended the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian government statements, cited by Wikipedia/2026 Iran war: Iran denied that talks were taking place at the time Trump announced them, calling the president 'deceitful'.
- The Jerusalem Post / Channel 12: Qatar struck Iran after Iranian attempts to directly strike Doha's airport, shooting down two Iranian Su-24 bombers, per Western diplomats and The Jerusalem Post; Channel 12 also reported Qatari strikes. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari: Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson vigorously denied the country had joined any 'campaign targeting Iran'.
- IRGC / Iranian state media: The IRGC claimed it downed an American C-130 transport aircraft. US officials, cited by Times of Israel: US officials said the planes were destroyed by US forces themselves after technical difficulties forced personnel to abandon the aircraft.
Unverified / Single Source
- (Unverified — single source; state media only; Al Jazeera described it as 'a major development if confirmed') Iran's Mehr news agency reported an attack on Iran's oil hub on Kharg Island on April 7. [Mehr News Agency (Iranian state-linked)]
- (Unverified — single source; not independently corroborated by a Tier-1 wire with specific figures) Thousands of IRGC personnel, including several senior officials, were killed or wounded as several military bases were attacked in the opening strikes. [Iran International, citing Iranian Students' News Agency]
- (Unverified — not independently corroborated; Iran denied the claim) Two ballistic missiles were reportedly launched at Diego Garcia military base on the Chagos Islands. [Wikipedia / 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel article]
Key Figures
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary total killed across all parties in the 39-day conflict | ~2,143 dead: 2,076 in Iran, 26 in Israel, 13 US soldiers, 28 in Gulf states | Al Jazeera live tracker, April 8, 2026 |
| US-Israeli strikes launched in the opening 12 hours of the war (Feb 28) | Nearly 900 strikes | Britannica / 2026 Iran war |
| Iranian missiles and drones fired in first week of war | Over 500 ballistic/naval missiles and nearly 2,000 drones as of March 5 | Military source to Fars News Agency, cited by Wikipedia |
| IEA emergency oil reserve release to counter price surge | 400 million barrels | UK House of Commons Library research briefing, April 2026 |
| Oil price movement following ceasefire announcement | Fell toward $95 per barrel | AP, April 8, 2026 |
| Displaced persons in Lebanon due to widened Israeli campaign | More than 1.1 million registered displaced | UN, cited by Al Jazeera, April 7, 2026 |
| Reduction in Iranian missile attacks on Israel by Day 10 | More than 90% drop from peak | France 24 / Jewish Institute for National Security of America, cited by Wikipedia |
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggered the 2026 Israel-US war on Iran? Israel and the US launched joint strikes on February 28, 2026, during ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations. The stated US goals included preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, destroying its missile capabilities, and achieving regime change. The IAEA had found no evidence of a structured nuclear weapons programme at the time, complicating the legal justification.
Is the Strait of Hormuz open now after the ceasefire? Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for safe passage as a condition of the April 8 two-week ceasefire, according to AP. Iran's IRGC Navy had previously declared the strait 'will never return to its former state.' Iran's 10-point proposal also demanded a $2 million fee per ship transiting the waterway, per The New York Times.
Does the ceasefire include Lebanon and Hezbollah? No. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office explicitly stated the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon. Israel struck central Beirut killing scores within hours of the ceasefire announcement on April 8, according to AP. Iran has demanded any deal include an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah as a condition for a permanent agreement.
Background
The 2026 Iran war began on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel launched nearly 900 strikes in 12 hours against Iranian military, leadership, and nuclear targets in an operation Israel codenamed 'Roaring Lion' and the US called 'Epic Fury.' The opening strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; Iran retaliated with hundreds of missiles and drones targeting Israel, US bases across the Middle East, and Gulf Arab states, and closed the Strait of Hormuz — triggering what analysts described as the largest global energy supply disruption since the 1970s. The conflict followed a failed round of nuclear negotiations in February 2026 and years of escalating strikes beginning with Israel's Twelve-Day War against Iran in June 2025.
Sources
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- npr.org — npr.org (unknown date)
- britannica.com — britannica.com (unknown date)
- commonslibrary.parliament.uk — commonslibrary.parliament.uk (unknown date)
- haaretz.com — haaretz.com (unknown date)
- timesofisrael.com — timesofisrael.com (unknown date)
- acleddata.com — acleddata.com (unknown date)
- en.wikipedia.org — en.wikipedia.org (unknown date)