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TEHRAN, Iran — 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 the channel be reopened and sought to keep peace talks on track.

The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. At the same time, Israel intensified its attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, hitting commercial and residential areas in Beirut. At least 182 people were killed Wednesday in the deadliest day of fighting there.

Arkansas’ congressional delegation generally supported the president and efforts to end Iran’s nuclear program.

The Iranian parliament speaker said planned talks were “unreasonable” because Washington broke three of Tehran’s 10 conditions for an end to the fighting. In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf objected to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, a supposed drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire took effect and U.S. refusal to accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities in a final agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon. When the deal was announced, Pakistan’s prime minister, whose country served as a mediator, said in a social media post that it applied to “everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, reported in Iranian state media, was “completely unacceptable.” She repeated Trump’s “expectation and demand” that the channel be reopened.

Much about the agreement was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms.

Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the strait, a crucial transit lane for oil. The White House said Trump is opposed to tolls for ship passage through the strait.

Only 11 vessels moved through the strait Wednesday, roughly the same as in prior days, according to Windward, a maritime intelligence firm. Iran was requiring shippers to pay tolls of up to $1 a barrel for outbound oil, it said. The largest supertankers carry up to 3 million barrels of crude.

The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs — the elimination of which were major objectives for the U.S. and Israel in going to war — also remained unclear. Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” plan that could help end the war that the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged indicating Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent.

Leavitt said a plan that Iran presented Tuesday could “align with our own” proposal for peace.

The White House said Vice President JD Vance would lead American negotiators at upcoming peace talks, which could begin in Pakistan as soon as Friday.

Iran’s demands for ending the war include a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.

Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same.

TOLL AND TROUBLE

The ceasefire may formalize a system of charging fees in the strait that Iran instituted and give it a new source of revenue.

That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit. Such a shift would likely be unacceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields.

U.S.-Israeli strikes have battered Iran and its leadership, but they have not eliminated the threats posed by Tehran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its support for regional proxies, like Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel said addressing those threats was a key justification for going to war.

Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium. There was no confirmation from Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing Wednesday that the U.S. would do “something like” last June’s joint strikes with Israel on Iranian nuclear sites if Iran refuses to surrender its enriched uranium voluntarily.

Netanyahu warned in a televised address that Israel was “ready to return to fighting at any time. Our finger is on the trigger.”

Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart.

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television. A short time later, the UAE’s air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage.

ARKANSANS REACT

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said he anticipates “learning more about the status of negotiations in the days to come,” adding the Trump administration has been offering briefings on the military operation.

“The president is committed to keeping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which would provoke nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East, as well as degrading its military and missile capabilities — and we are well on the way to achieving those objectives.”

Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., stressed that any deal with Iran must ensure two things: the United States maintains a “freedom of action” to deter threats in the Middle East, and Iran remains unable to obtain nuclear weapons.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and throughout its entire history has referred to the U.S. as the ‘Great Satan,'” the Rogers congressman added. “Given this posture, it is paramount that neither U.S. military capabilities nor economic leverage be constrained to empower such a hostile regime.”

Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said a possible agreement must require trust “through verification.” The Hot Springs congressman additionally mentioned the United States’ ongoing efforts must ensure Iran cannot access nuclear weapons or develop defense production capabilities to “support their culture of terror.”

Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., also emphasized the importance of Iran not developing nuclear weapons in his response to recent developments. Hill, of Little Rock, serves on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, a congressional panel responsible for overseeing the nation’s intelligence operations.

“We have clear military objectives to prevent the terrorists in Tehran from ever obtaining that capability, neutralize their ability to project power and threaten U.S. interests, and end their funding of terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah,” Hill said.

“Our military has performed brilliantly, and I hope this operation concludes swiftly and successfully, restores freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and marks the beginning of a more stable and secure Middle East.”

The office of Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., chair of the House Intelligence Committee, referred to the Jonesboro congressman’s recent appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” during which he said Iran “shouldn’t toy” with Trump.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, backed the Trump administration in a social media post for its opposition to any Iranian nuclear weapons, simultaneously criticizing the Obama administration for its 2015 deal aimed at preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon.

“President Trump has always been crystal clear: there must be no uranium enrichment for Iran,” Cotton, of Little Rock, said on social media.

“And he’s absolutely right. That was a central flaw in Obama’s disastrous deal,” he added. “Because the only reason Iran would demand to enrich uranium is to build a nuclear weapon.”

Information for this article was contributed by Edith Lederer, Natalie Melzer, Abby Sewell, Sarah El Deeb, Mike Catalini, Michelle L. Price, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, Michael Biesecker and Josh Boak of The Associated Press; and by Alex Thomas of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)First responders search at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)Smoke rises following several Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)A first responder emerges through the smoke at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)