For now, links to reports and analysis: from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-10-26 and today’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Israel says it attacks more than 200 Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. From Middle East Eye. Additionally, the Israeli military said it would continue targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said today’s death toll from Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon has risen to 10. READ MORE . . .

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Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 rises to 1,953. From Middle East Monitor. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Friday that another 6,303 were injured, Anadolu reported, but that the figures remain preliminary as rescue teams continue clearing rubble and a large number of remains require DNA testing to confirm the identities of victims.

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What the Lebanese government wants from the talks with Israel, by Adam Chamseddine | Middle East Eye  BEIRUT — Caught between Israeli belligerence, Iranian power projection and lukewarm American attention, the Lebanese government is trying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ceasefire exemptions and quarries of death, by Binoy Kampmark | Middle East Monitor  In the Devil’s Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce defines peace as a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.  The Israeli version of a ceasefire might be . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to SEVEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries and interviews (about 16): from or via the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Indian Punchline, Consortium News, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and Anadolu Ajansi; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-10-26.  Scroll up for today’s LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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U.S.-Iran talks begin in Pakistan as war’s fragile truce holds, by Munir Ahmed, Sam Metz, E. Eduardo Castillo and Samy Magdy | AP  ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran began negotiations today in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Middle East Eye.

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Pressure builds on Iran to ‘drop’ Lebanon ceasefire demand as Islamabad talks hang in balance. From the Cradle. Pakistani officials are pressuring the Iranian delegation in Islamabad to enter talks with their US counterparts by “dropping” demands for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to information obtained by Lebanese journalist and the Cradle columnist Dr. Mohamad Hassan Sweidan. READ MORE . . .

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Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas shares likely outcome of U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for all nine Iran war-related segments on NPR’s “All Things Considered” Friday and “Weekend Edition Saturday.”

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FROM APRIL 10  The Iranian billionaire negotiating with Trump, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline / Consortium News  Glaring differences between the United States and Iran notwithstanding, the talks beginning in Islamabad Saturday have a fairly good chance of being a success. READ MORE . . .

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Islamabad and the end of easy power, by Junaid S. Ahmad | Middle East Monitor  History, when it chooses to humiliate power, does not bother with elegance — it stages spectacle. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  Could the Islamabad talks end 48 years of hostility between the U.S. and Iran? by Seyed Hossein Mousavian | Middle East Eye  After 40 days of military confrontation, the ceasefire between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other emerged from a combination of military, strategic, political, and economic realities. READ MORE . . .

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Former U.S. secretary of state says Netanyahu repeatedly pressed U.S. presidents to strike Iran, only Trump agreed, by Merve Berker | Anadolu  Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had repeatedly urged U.S. administrations to carry out military strikes on Iran, but previous presidents declined. He spoke in an interview on The Briefing with Jen Psaki on Friday. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to ELEVEN-plus reports, analyses, interviews and commentaries (21): from or via the Cradle, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, ScheerPost, CraigMurray.org.uk, Consortium News, the Glenn Deisen Show, National Public Radio, and Informed Comment; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-9-26 and today’s WEST BANK, LEBANON and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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Conflicting reports emerge over arrival of Iranian delegation for Islamabad truce talks. From the Cradle. Conflicting reports emerge over arrival of Iranian delegation for Islamabad truce talks. From the Cradle. No Iranian delegation has arrived in Pakistan’s capital for talks with the U.S. on 10 April as Tehran continues to demand a ceasefire in Lebanon before participating in the negotiations, according to Persian and Arabic media reports. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. and Iran prepare for ceasefire talks as Netanyahu authorizes negotiations with Lebanon, by Jon Gambrell and Sam Mednick | AP  DUBAI — Negotiators from Iran and the U.S. prepared for high-level talks with their ceasefire still shaky today, as Israel and Hezbollah traded fire and Tehran maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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U.S. reinforces military presence in Middle East despite ceasefire. From Middle East Monitor. The United States is reinforcing its military presence in the region despite the ceasefire with Iran, with navigational data showing ongoing movements of cargo and refueling aircraft toward the Middle East. READ MORE . . .

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How aligned are Israel and the U.S. under the ceasefire? Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher at Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for all 10 segments related to the Iran war from NPR’s “All Things Considered” Thursday and “Morning Edition” today.

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Pakistan defence minister calls Israel ‘a curse for humanity.’ From Middle East Monitor. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif‘s post on X, in which he also criticised those who established Israel on Palestinian land, prompted a swift response from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reportedly was later deleted. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 9  Spain orders reopening of Tehran embassy, condemns Israel’s carpet bombing of Lebanon. From the Cradle. Spain is reopening its embassy in Tehran in hopes of achieving “peace” in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares declared on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 9  Pakistan’s diplomatic ‘success’ and the illusion of peace in the Muslim world, by Faraz Fateh | Middle East Monitor  This moment of apparent calm should not blind us to a bitter historical pattern: ceasefires offered to Muslim nations are rarely acts of justice. More often, they . . . READ MORE . . .

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Cradle and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 3-24-26, and up or down for today’s IRAN, LEBANON and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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Israeli cabinet ‘secretly’ greenlights dozens of illegal West Bank settlements. From the Cradle. Israel’s cabinet has secretly approved a record number of new Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank amid the war with Iran, Israeli media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 2  Radical Israeli settlers have stepped up attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Israeli settlers have increased their attacks on Palestinians, while the military suspends a battalion that assaulted a CNN reporting team. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to FIVE reports: from the Cradle, National Public Radio, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-9-26, and up or down for today’s IRAN, WEST BANK and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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Heavy clashes rage in south Lebanon as Hezbollah confronts invading troops. From the Cradle. According to reports from Al Mayadeen, fighting remains active in and around the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil, despite Israeli media claims that forces have taken control of the city and killed hundreds of fighters. READ MORE . . .

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Israel and Lebanon agree to hold ceasefire talks. Reported by Carrie Kahn and Steve Inskeep | NPR  These first direct ceasefire talks decades would be a bid to halt the violence in southern Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for all 10 segments related to the Iran war from NPR’s “All Things Considered” Thursday and “Morning Edition” today.

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Survivors recount Israel’s massacre in Beirut, by Rita Kabalan | Middle East Eye  BEIRUT — Simultaneous strikes by Israeli warplanes on densely populated areas on Wednesday — including in Beirut, its southern suburbs, the eastern Beqaa governorate and southern villages — killed more than 300 people and wounded over 1,150, according to the Lebanese health ministry. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 9  Spain orders reopening of Tehran embassy, condemns Israel’s carpet bombing of Lebanon. From the Cradle. Spain is reopening its embassy in Tehran in hopes of achieving “peace” in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares declared on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 9  White House ‘signed off’ on Pakistan’s declaration that Iran ceasefire included Lebanon: report. From the Cradle.  The White House was directly involved in “shaping” the ceasefire announcement by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, having reviewed and approved it before publication, according to a New York Times report on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, a link to comment via TomDispatch and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for MEDIA 3-29-26. Scroll up for IRAN, WEST BANK and LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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Israeli army’s covert media cells exposed for posing as impartial outlets to mislead the public. From Middle East Monitor. Soldiers and journalists say the Israeli army’s Spokesperson’s Unit operated covert media channels posing as independent outlets while working to shape coverage, manage public discourse and push Israel’s narrative at home and abroad, according to a new investigation by +972 Magazine in partnership with The Hottest Place in Hell. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 7  How the news media is covering Trump’s war, by Nan Levinson | Tom Dispatch  Suppose your role in wartime is to inform the American public about what’s going on? Suppose you’re an American journalist? How the hell do you do your job? READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to TWELVE-plus reports, analyses, interviews and commentaries (22): from the Associated Press, ScheerPost, Consortium News, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, National Public Radio, and Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-8-26 and today’s LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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Ceasefire in the Iran war teeters in the face of disagreements over Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, by Jon Gambrell and Elena Becatoros | AP  DUBAI — A tentative ceasefire in the Iran war staggered today under the weight of Israel’s intense bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty over whether negotiators can find common ground on a range of other differences. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others;  and HERE for AP “live updates” on Iran war and ceasefire.

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Why the ceasefire is doomed, by Chris Hedges | ScheerPost  It is highly unlikely, unfortunately, that the ceasefire agreement brokered by Pakistan will endure. This is due to two principal impediments. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  Day 40: Netanyahu says Iran war is not over, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the two-week truce is not “the end of the war” but a “stop on the way to achieving all our goals.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  U.S. and Iran may have to talk ‘as guns are firing,’ by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  The U.S. was racing to salvage a ceasefire with Iran on Wednesday that appeared to collapse as a result of deadly Israeli attacks on Lebanon and an unclaimed strike on an energy facility on Iran’s Lavan Island. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  Trump’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ is a busted flush. Iran proved it and China knows it, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  If Netanyahu’s genocidal campaign in Gaza spelt the end of Israel’s moral authority over Europe, the war on Iran could have the same effect on Israel’s monopoly over Washington’s policymaking in the Middle East. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  Iran to boycott Islamabad talks with U.S. if Israeli strikes on Lebanon persist: report. From the Cradle. The Islamic Republic of Iran has told Pakistani mediators that it will not attend the talks with Washington in Islamabad this week unless there is a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday following massive and deadly Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut. READ MORE . . .

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Trump warns strikes will resume if Iran doesn’t agree to his peace terms. | NPR  President Trump said late Wednesday that U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East will “remain in place” until an agreement is reached with Iran, and its implementation takes hold. READ MORE . . .

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Expert discusses whether the war has made Iran’s regime stronger. Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with Iran expert Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for all six Iran war-related segments on NPR‘s “Morning Edition” today.

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The truce in the U.S.’s Iran war is fragile, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The incredible blunder of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel just two days before the vicious U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran played into the hands of Pakistan’s diplomacy, which has been on the rise since then in West Asian politics. It is culminating this weekend in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Big oil cashed in while war sent prices soaring. From ScheerPost. A new analysis reported by the Wall Street Journal found that oil and gas executives sold off a staggering $1.4 billion in stock as Donald Trump’s war on Iran sent energy markets into chaos and pushed fuel prices higher. The sell-off, involving executives from Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Diamondback Energy, Baker Hughes, and other major firms, reached a 15-year peak. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  What has the U.S. war with Iran accomplished? by Scott Neuman and Greg Myre | NPR  President Trump’s goals for the war with Iran included putting an end to the country’s nuclear program, destroying its military capabilities and creating regime change. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 8  Ceasefire is threatened as Israel expands Lebanon strikes and Iran closes strait again, by Bassem Mroue, Jon Gambrell, Samy Magdy and Sam Metz | AP  TEHRAN — A ceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appeared to hang by a thread Wednesday after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demanded . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others;  and HERE for AP “live updates” on Iran war and ceasefire.

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FROM APRIL 8  The ceasefire agreement — what happens next. Reported by Greg Myre and Mara Liasson |NPR  A ceasefire appears to be holding in the Iran war, but now several critical issues have to be negotiated. They include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the fate of Iran’s nuclear program. Click HERE to listen and read; and HERE for links to all four Iran war-related reports from NPR’s “All Things Considered” Wednesday.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to SEVEN reports: from the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-8-26.  Scroll up for today’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Israel strike central Beirut, killing at least 182 people after Iran ceasefire, by Kareem Chehayeb and Abby Sewell | AP  BEIRUT — Israeli strikes hit busy commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning on Wednesday, hours after a ceasefire was announced in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Lebanon said at least 182 people were killed and hundreds were wounded, making it the deadliest day in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others; and HERE for AP “live updates” on Iran war and ceasefire.  Click HERE for report from Al Jazeera.

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Iran war day 41: What’s happening in Lebanon, Middle East and beyond? by Elizabeth Melimopoulos of Al Jazeera and Reuters  Lebanon has declared a national day of mourning after a wave of Israeli attacks killed at least 254 people and injured more than 1,165 in a single day, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam mobilising “all of Lebanon’s political and diplomatic resources to stop the Israeli killing machine.” READ MORE . . .

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Lebanese government calls for direct talks with Israel. From Middle East Eye. The move, reported by Al Jazeera correspondents in Lebanon, comes amid the heaviest Israeli strikes on the region in six weeks, which killed more than 250 people on Wednesday.

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FROM APRIL 8  Massive Israeli bombing of Lebanon kills, injures hundreds in Beirut alone. From the Cradle. The Israeli army launched a massive wave of brutal and deadly airstrikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on the afternoon of 8 April, hours after rejecting the inclusion of Lebanon in a newly announced ceasefire initiative to end the war in Iran. READ MORE . . .

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Ceasefire in the Iran war teeters in the face of disagreements over Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, by Jon Gambrell and Elena Becatoros | AP  DUBAI — A tentative ceasefire in the Iran war staggered today under the weight of Israel’s intense bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty over whether negotiators can find common ground on a range of other differences. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others;  and HERE for AP “live updates” on Iran war and ceasefire.

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FROM APRIL 8  U.S. and Iran may have to talk ‘as guns are firing,’ by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  The U.S. was racing to salvage a ceasefire with Iran on Wednesday that appeared to collapse as a result of deadly Israeli attacks on Lebanon and an unclaimed strike on an energy facility on Iran’s Lavan Island. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to ELEVEN-plus reports, analyses, interviews and commentaries (15 or so): from the Cradle, Al Jazeera, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-7-26 and today’s LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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U.S., Iran reach temporary truce as Trump accepts Tehran’s 10-point plan as ‘basis’ for talks. From the Cradle. Iran and the U.S. agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8 [Tehran time], after President Donald Trump accepted a 10-point plan from Tehran as a basis for further negotiations. A round of negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, has been planned for Friday. READ MORE . . .

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Hegseth touts U.S. ‘victory’ over Iran as Tehran hails its own ‘historic’ win. From Al Jazeera with Agence France-Presse and Reuters). U.S. Defence Secretary ⁠Pete Hegseth has declared a decisive military victory over Iran. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary News Agency says Iran also declared “victory.” READ MORE . . .

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How Iranians are reacting to news of the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Reported by D. Parvaz and Steve Inskeep | NPR   Iranian state media showed images of Iranians celebrating the news of the ceasefire, but for many, the deal also means an end to any hope of real regime change. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read; and HERE for all four Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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Iran says U.S. forced to accept its negotiation framework in ‘historic victory.’ From Middle East Eye. Iran‘s Supreme National Security Council said on Wednesday that the country had achieved a “historic” victory and forced the United States to accept the framework of a 10-point proposal ahead of planned negotiations. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for full text of Iran’s National Security Council statement on the ceasefire agreement (following eight paragraphs of Middle East Eye introduction.)

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FROM APRIL 7  Victory for Iran, permanent pariah for Israel. Nasim Ahmed of Middle East Monitor talks with Mouin Rabbani, a contributing editor of Middle East Report, about some of the past week’s developments — in Iran, Israel, the Gulf states, Washington, Lebanon, the media, and elsewhere. Click HERE for video of interview.

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FROM APRIL 7  U.S. and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire as Trump seizes diplomatic offramp instead of escalation, by Bassem Mroue, Jon Gambrell and Samy Magdy | AP  TEHRAN — U.S. President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, swerving to deescalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate or face a major escalation. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish.  Click HERE for report from NPR; and HERE for links to four Iran war-related reports from  NPR’s “All Things Considered.”  Click HERE for a report from Al Jazeera.

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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For now, links to reports and analyses from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-6-26.  Scroll up for today’s IRAN for now.) — MCM

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Israel says ceasefire with Iran doesn’t include war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, by Sam Mednick | AP  In a statement this morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it supports Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but that it doesn’t include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for a report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM APRIL 7  South Lebanon’s war writes its own endgame, by Mohamad Shams Eddine | The Cradle  Lebanon’s efforts to halt the war between Hezbollah and Israel have stalled into a familiar paralysis. This has once again tilted the balance toward the battlefield as the sole arena for resolution. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 7  Victory for Iran, permanent pariah for Israel. Nasim Ahmed of Middle East Monitor talks with Mouin Rabbani, a contributing editor of Middle East Report, about some of the past week’s developments — in Iran, Israel, the Gulf states, Washington, Lebanon, the media, and elsewhere. Click HERE for video of interview.

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TO BE CONTINUED