Middle East Crisis Averts, Ceasefire Agreed

0:00It's April 10th. Welcome to Sydney News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Things got real tense in the Middle East this Tuesday when the conflict nearly spiraled out of control after nearly six weeks of heavy strikes. President Trump flipped from warning about a whole civilization dying that night to announcing a two-week ceasefire thanks to last-minute diplomacy. Pressure came from all sides, with back-channel talks from Washington, Pakistan, and China, pushing Iran to budge for the first time. Beijing, as Iran's top trading partner, leaned hard, while Pakistan played neutral go-between, relaying messages even as strikes hit Saudi targets. Both the U.S. and Iran are calling it a big win. Trump says Iran agreed to free-ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz, he for global oil. Iran's Foreign Minister, once coordination with their forces and details like Israel's involvement or uranium plans, are still fuzzy. Afghanistan pulled off its biggest diplomatic score in years, with Army Chief and Prime

1:00Minister in non-stop talks through the night. They warned Iran about escalation risks tied to Saudi defense packs, buying time for the deal. Peace talks kick off this Saturday in Islamabad, led by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, with Iran's new 10-point plan on the table for two more weeks of. Negotiations. For now, Pakistan dodges a tough choice between allies, keeping the region from boiling over.