JERUSALEM: Israel said on Wednesday (Apr 8) it supported US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend his bombing of Iran, but maintained the 11th-hour ceasefire did not include Lebanon.

Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday, barely an hour before Trump's deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.

Tehran said it would guarantee safe passage for maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks, announcing that the pause would be used for talks with the United States on ending the war. Negotiations were set to start Friday in Pakistan.

"Israel supports President Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region," the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israel added that it "supports the US effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat".

But the statement said that the ceasefire "does not include Lebanon", contradicting an earlier announcement by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has acted as a mediator in the conflict.

Sharif said that the United States and its allies had agreed to a ceasefire "everywhere including Lebanon", suggesting Israel had agreed to halt its invasion of its northern neighbour.

Lebanon was drawn into the war after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched rocket fire on Israel.

That attack sparked an Israeli invasion and air raids across Lebanon that have killed more than 1,500 people, according to authorities.

Israel had encouraged Trump to join the war against Iran, its arch-nemesis, and in the first strikes in February killed the long-serving supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday (Apr 8) that the United States, Iran and their allies had agreed to a ceasefire "everywhere", including Lebanon, following mediation by his government to stop weeks of fighting.

"I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY," Sharif posted on X.

He added that Pakistan's capital Islamabad would welcome delegations from both countries on Friday to hold negotiations aimed at reaching a "conclusive agreement".

"We earnestly hope, that the 'Islamabad Talks' succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days," he said.

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Both Tehran and Washington announced they had agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before US President Donald Trump's deadline to "obliterate" Iran was set to expire.

Pakistan, which has forged a close relationship with Trump and is sensitive to developments in neighbouring Iran, emerged as a channel for messaging between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks.

However, contradicting Sharif's statement, Israel said the US-Iran ceasefire deal "does not include Lebanon", which was drawn into the war after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel.

"The two-weeks ceasefire does not include Lebanon," the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

The war began when Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader on Feb 28, sparking retaliatory strikes from Tehran on Gulf nations and Israel.

Lebanon has also been drawn into the conflict after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, which has since carried out strikes, including on the capital, and launched a ground operation in the south of the country.

WASHINGTON: Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday (Apr 7) defended investigations of individuals Donald Trump "has had issues with" and said only the president knows why his predecessor, Pam Bondi, was fired.

"We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now," Blanche said at his first press appearance since being named interim head of the Justice Department last week.

"And it is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president, in the past, has had issues with and believes should be investigated," he said.

"That is his right, and indeed, it is his duty to do that."

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Bondi was fired last week after reportedly drawing Trump's ire by falling short in efforts to prosecute perceived Trump political opponents such as former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer, said only the president knows why Bondi was dismissed.

"Nobody has any idea why the attorney general is no longer the attorney general and I'm the acting attorney general, except for President Trump," he said.

Blanche dismissed allegations that the Justice Department was being "weaponised" against Trump's enemies and alleged there was "weaponisation" of the department by the Biden administration, "the likes of which had never been seen in history".

"You had a president who was indicted four times by this department," he said in a reference to charges brought against Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Trump was accused by Smith of seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden and mishandling classified documents. Both cases were dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

"What we've been doing for the past 14 months is changing this department," Blanche said. "People say the president wants to go after his political enemies. No, the president has said time and time again that he wants justice."

Blanche also defended the firing of scores of Justice Department prosecutors who had worked on the criminal cases against Trump.

"If you were a prosecutor and you were trying to prosecute your boss, you have ethical duties as a lawyer that I think prevent you from continuing to work in that environment," he said.

A number of career prosecutors fired since Trump took office have filed lawsuits claiming wrongful dismissal.

Gold extended gains on Wednesday (Apr 8) as markets reassessed near-term risks after US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran for two weeks, easing fears of energy-driven inflation.

Spot gold climbed 2.3 per cent to US$4,811.66 per ounce by 11.44pm GMT after rising 1.2 per cent on Tuesday, while US gold futures for June delivery gained 3.3 per cent to US$4,840.20.

Trump said Washington had agreed to a two-week pause in attacks and had received a 10-point proposal from Iran, which he described as a workable basis for negotiations.

His comments followed earlier warnings that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz or risk US retaliation.

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"This is a knee-jerk relief rally and it remains to be seen if Iran complies. For gold, the 200 day-moving-average at US$4,930 and then US$5,000 will be key hurdles. Similarly, US$80-US$81 is a important level for silver," independent metals trader Tai Wong said.

Pakistan, which has been mediating between Washington and Tehran, had requested the two-week extension to give diplomacy time to proceed.

Iran's Supreme Security Council said negotiations with the United States would begin on Friday in Islamabad, after it submitted its proposal via Pakistan, though it added that the talks did not signal an end to the war.

Rising energy prices could fuel inflation and complicate central bank decision on rate cuts. While gold is often seen as an inflation hedge and a safe-haven asset during uncertain times, its appeal tends to weaken in a high-interest-rate environment as it offers no yield.

According to research by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, a prolonged disruption to global oil trade could push US inflation above 4 per cent by year-end, with steeper increases possible in the short term.

Gold, which started the year on a strong note, has fallen more than 8 per cent since the Iran war began on Feb 28.

Markets are now awaiting the minutes from the Fed's March meeting, due on Wednesday.

Among other metals, spot silver rose 4.3 per cent to US$76.08 per ounce, platinum gained 2.4 per cent to US$2,004.95 and palladium added 2.1 per cent at US$1,500.