The US and Iran have agreed a temporary ceasefire.

But what's been agreed to, and who's agreed to it? What does it mean for people living in the region, and for those further afield?

Send us your questions about the two-week ceasefire in the Middle East, and we'll field them to our team of experts across the region in a special programme at 15:30 BST later today.

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Ship tracking firm MarineTraffic this morning indicates there have been "early signs of vessel activity" in the Strait of Hormuz after the route had been effectively blocked by Iran.

The organisation suggests that two ships have passed through the strait - one owned by Greece and the other registered in Liberia.

The BBC has not verified these reports.

Passage through the strait has been a point of contention in recent weeks and while the long-term plan for the route remains unclear, the temporary ceasefire announced overnight requires Iran to reopen it.

Some countries had previously reached agreements with Iran for their ships to continue using the global shipping route - including Pakistan, India and the Philippines.

Others had been attacked in locations near to the strait, but also elsewhere in the Gulf.

In a follow-up post, Trump writes:

"A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions!"

Image source, YURI GRIPAS/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

US President Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social.

He says that the US will work with Iran, "which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!"

Trump says Iran won't enrich uranium, and the US will work with Tehran to "dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust.'

"It is now, and has been, under very exacting Satellite Surveillance".

He adds: "Nothing has been touched from the date of attack. We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran. Many of the 15 points have already been been agreed to."

US Vice-President JD Vance describes the ceasefire as a "fragile truce", urging Iran to negotiate in "good faith" for a long-term deal.

Speaking in Budapest, where he's supporting Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán ahead of the country's national elections on Sunday, Vance says an agreement is possible if "Iranians are willing in good faith to work with us".

But he warns that if they "prevent even the fragile truce that we've set up from taking place, then they're not going to be happy".

Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif - who has been mediating talks - says Islamabad will host US and Iranian delegations on Friday "to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes".

There have been reports from Iranian media that Vance will head US negotiations with Iran, but we're yet to hear from Washington on this.

Why Iran’s defensive strategy might make a ceasefire difficultpublished at 11:59 BST 8 April

11:59 BST 8 April

Joe Inwood
World news correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Usually, the killing of the entire political and military leadership of a country would lead to chaos, maybe even collapse. In Iran, this has not happened.

That may be due to their adoption of what’s known as a decentralised mosaic defence strategy, effectively devolving operational power to local commanders.

They would have a list of objectives and be empowered to operate independently, without expecting communication from Tehran.

This offered protection from the US and Israeli “decapitation” strategy - in which almost the entire top brass were killed.

However, it could also be an impediment to peace. Without an effective chain of command, circulating orders to cease fire may be difficult.

Obviously we won’t know for a while, but this could well lead to the possibility of attacks continuing, even as the political leadership in Tehran tries to do a deal.

While Washington and Tehran have agreed a temporary truce for two weeks, some countries in the region are still reporting strikes from Iran.

Attacks won't necessarily have been ordered by the country's leadership, as Iran gave regional commanders the power to order strikes and it may take time for ceasefire orders to filter through.

This is what we've heard so far this morning:

Kuwait

The military says it has been dealing with "an intense wave of hostile Iranian attacks" since 08:00 local time (06:00 BST).

Twenty-eighty drones have been intercepted, it says, but the attacks have caused "severe material damage" to oil infrastructure, power stations and water desalination plants.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Since the ceasefire came into effect, the country's Ministry of Defence says it has been "actively engaging" with missiles and drones.

The attacks originated from Iran, it says in the update, and urges people to follow safety protocols.

• Earlier in the day, we also heard from Bahrain, which said two people had minor injuries after an Iranian drone attack. The government did not confirm whether this took place before the temporary truce was announced.

Iraq's airspace will be reopening, the president of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority says.

Bangen Rekani announces in a post on X that all airports in the country will be reopening "starting from today", following comments last week that daily assessments were being conducted in an attempt to open "one or more airports, even partially".

Ahmed Hoshyar, the director of Iraq's Erbil International Airport, has also confirmed the reopening of the country's airspace in reports carried by local Iraq news outlets.

The INA separately reported that Kirkuk Airport would open within 24 hours.

Iranians are still widely blocked from using the internet, a shutdown that a monitoring group says has now entered its 40th day.

"The wartime censorship measure continues, even as the US and Iran regimes each declare victory, with the Iranian people once again left in the dark," internet monitoring group NetBlocks says.

While the near-total shutdown continues, some people have managed to stay connected using satellite internet Starlink and other methods, although they’re paying a hefty price for it.

In Iran, using or possessing a Starlink device can lead to up to two years in prison, and authorities have been trying to crack down on it.

It is also costly, with internet access via Starlink being sold on the Telegram messaging app for around $6 (£4.50) for 1 GB of data - a high price in a country where the average monthly salary is estimated to be between $200 and $300 (£149 - £223).

Image source, Netblocks

Videos show aftermath of overnight strike in south Lebanonpublished at 11:01 BST 8 April

11:01 BST 8 April

Image source, X

By Shruti Menon and Peter Mwai

BBC Verify has examined videos showing the aftermath of a reported overnight strike targeting a vehicle outside a cafe in the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon.

Two verified clips show at least one vehicle on fire and a plume of smoke rising, as people gather nearby and firefighters battle to douse the blaze.

Footage recorded later shows the fire has been extinguished and damage to the cafe and other vehicles nearby is clearly visible.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says eight people were killed and 22 injured in an Israeli attack.

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business reporter

Oil prices continued to fall on Wednesday following plans for a conditional ceasefire between the US and Iran.

Brent crude dropped by nearly 15% to $94 (£70) per barrel.

It is a significant decline from highs of nearly $120 as missiles flew across the Gulf and US President Donald Trump confused markets with contradictory statements - at one moment hinting at an exit strategy before, just hours later, threatening to hit Iran "extremely hard".

There was also Iran's effective closure of the Hormuz strait - one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels - leaving shipments from the Middle East severely disrupted.

While the fall in oil prices is to be welcomed, Brent crude is 30% more expensive than it was before the conflict began on 28 February.

Trump's threat that 'a whole civilisation will die' didn't materialise - but it may have done lasting damagepublished at 10:37 BST 8 April

10:37 BST 8 April

Joel Gunter
Reporting from Jerusalem

There is relief both here in the region and globally that US President Donald Trump backed down from his threat on Tuesday to Iran - that “a whole civilisation will die tonight”.

But his remark can’t be erased from the record. Even for a president known for bellicose threats, the wording of the statement was newly shocking in its dark and aggressive attitude.

Trump is the head of an administration that is supposed to be helping to negotiate peace in Ukraine and in Gaza. His key negotiators on those issues - son-in-law Jared Kushner and former real estate developer Steve Witkoff - are the same two men working on Iran.

How much credibility can Trump and his team project in those other arenas after such a threat, which, whether Trump meant it or not, carried a genocidal tone.

Trump has brushed off questions about the legality of his previous threats to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran, including power plants and bridges, suggesting that he is untroubled by legal and moral boundaries involved.

Joe Kent, a former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned in March in protest over the Iran conflict, warned yesterday that if Trump went through with his threat it would severely damage the US on the world stage.

"If he attempts to eradicate Iranian civilisation, the United States will no longer be viewed as a stabilising force in the world, but as an agent of chaos - effectively ending our status as the world’s greatest superpower.”

Trump did not go through with it last night. But his threat alone may have done lasting damage.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

European leaders have largely welcomed the temporary truce agreed by the US and Iran. Here's what we've heard about who leaders think should take the credit for the deal, and what should happen next.

• Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, says the ceasefire "will bring a moment of relief to the region and to the world", and calls for partners to "do all we can" to sustain it
• "Ceasefires are always good news," says Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. But he says his government "will not applaud those who set the world ablaze just because they turn up with a bucket"
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says it's "important" that the US "has taken this diplomatic step", and calls for the interests of "every nation" to be taken into account when making decisions about a post-war world
• Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker thanks Pakistan for its "successful mediation efforts", and says that the window for diplomacy has opened "a little further"

Image source, Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, is reporting that a clean-up operation and the initial stages of reconstruction has begun in Tehran.

Citing one of the city's district mayors, Tasnim reports that debris has begun to be removed and roads reopened while in some places the ground is being levelled for the beginning of reconstruction work.

Reacting to news of the temporary ceasefire agreed between Iran and the US, Saudi Arabia says it welcomes the announcement.

"The Kingdom affirms its support for the mediation efforts undertaken by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to reach a permanent agreement that achieves security and stability and addresses all the issues that have caused instability and insecurity for several decades," a statement from the country's foreign ministry says.

"At the same time, the Kingdom emphasises the necessity of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open... without any restrictions".

The statement adds that Saudi officials hope the ceasefire will enhance the "security of the region" and that attacks on other countries in the Middle East "will cease".

• For context: Gulf Arab states - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman - have expressed anger after coming under almost daily bombardment from Iran's drones and missiles despite declining to back the war on Iran. There's more on that here.

Oil price down, markets up - but economic scarring could remainpublished at 09:55 BST 8 April

09:55 BST 8 April

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

Markets have responded positively to the ceasefire, with a notable fall in the oil price and a rally in stock markets. However, there are many reasons for caution.

There are different accounts over the next stage of negotiations between Iran, the US, and Israel. The test is whether face-to-face negotiations actually occur.

Then there is the physical situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Will traffic flow freely, as suggested by President Trump?

Or will it flow "via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due considerations to technical limitations", as suggested by Iran’s foreign minister? This is vital, not just for oil and gas - but also jet fuel, sulphur, urea, and diesel.

This also raises a fundamental question about any peace. Iran has now created a new reality in the Gulf: it has established that it can control the key maritime chokepoint, even without a functioning navy and airforce. It had even begun to collect tolls. Will this remain? Will the Gulf nations accept this?

Global gas production will likely to be damaged for some years, following direct damage to infrastructure, mostly in Qatar. It will take weeks to restart production - and years for that production to be back to pre-war capacity.

So the absence of a further escalation is a relief for the global economy. The depth of the economic scarring from this conflict remains an open question.

Jemma Crew
Business reporter

European markets are responding positively to news of the ceasefire.

The FTSE 100 was up by 2.5% in early trading after London markets opened on Wednesday.

In France, the CAC 40 was up 4.07% in early trading, while Germany’s DAX rose by 4.87%.

Stock markets also rallied in Asia - Japan's Nikkei gained 5.5%, the Kospi in South Korea rose 6.8%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng exchange gained 3%, and Shanghai's composite index rose 2.5%.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has stopped attacking Iran, but will continue operations in Lebanon.

In a statement, it says that it "completed a wave of strikes in Iran" and has now ceased fire "in accordance with directives" from political leadership.

It adds that it is "highly prepared to respond defensively against any violation" against Israel.

However, against Hezbollah in Lebanon, "the IDF is continuing to conduct targeted ground operations", it says.

Image source, Reuters

The two-week ceasefire announced by Donald Trump last night requires Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

But shipping analyst Lars Jensen, who previously worked for Danish logistics giant Maersk, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "nothing has really changed yet" in the strait - adding "it will take time" for trust to build.

He say he expects to see many vessels exiting the Gulf in the next few days, but only a "trickle" entering due to the possibility of ships becoming trapped if the ceasefire breaks down.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Saida in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military has carried out a wave of air strikes in southern Lebanon this morning - an indication that, for Israel, the US-Iran ceasefire deal does not apply to Lebanon.

This morning, air strikes hit the Tyre and Nabatieh areas in the south of the country, after the agreement was announced.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has denied that the deal also covers the conflict with the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah here.

We’re still waiting to hear from the Lebanese government and Hezbollah. Pakistan, which mediated the deal, indicated that deal also involved Lebanon.

In recent days, reports suggested that Hezbollah had called on Iran to include the Lebanese front in any agreement.

Israel, meanwhile, has indicated it is seeking to create what it describes as a security buffer zone along the border inside Lebanese territory. Israeli troops have invaded Lebanon, and there are fears this could result in the occupation of parts of the country.

Image source, Reuters