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Europe Today: Trump backs down on Iran again as Hormuz set to reopen after temporary deal
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Tune in to Europe Today, Euronews' flagship morning programme at 8 am Brussels time. In just 20 minutes, we bring you up to speed on the biggest news of the day.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/08/europe-today-trump-backs-down-on-iran-again-as-hormuz-set-to-reopen-after-temporary-deal
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:14Good morning, it is Wednesday the 8th of April. I'm Maeve MacMahon and this is Europe Today,
00:20your daily dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up in an 11th hour deal, the US President Donald Trump has pulled back from threats to launch devastating
00:33strikes on Iran.
00:35A two-week truce has been agreed on the condition that the Strait of Hormuz remains open,
00:40but Israel says the agreement does not extend to Lebanon.
00:44This comes as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte heads to Washington today for talks with President Trump.
00:49The US leader is angered by allies for not backing his stance on Iran,
00:54putting strain on the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance.
00:58We'll look at whether a NATO without the US is even possible.
01:01And just days ahead of key parliamentary elections in Hungary,
01:05the US Vice President has criticised the EU over alleged foreign interference.
01:10Speaking alongside Viktor Orban on the campaign trail,
01:13J.D. Vance accused EU officials of trying to undermine Hungary's economy,
01:18while praising Viktor Orban for standing up to what he called Western values.
01:22We'll get up to speed with our Hungarian correspondent.
01:25But first, world leaders are reacting cautiously to a ceasefire announcement between the US and Iran
01:31that both sides seem to be hailing as a victory.
01:33To hear more about what exactly is in the plan,
01:36I'm joined here on set by Euronews' US politics expert, that is Stefan Kobe.
01:40Good morning, Stefan.
01:41Good morning, Maeve.
01:42So a truce for now, but it seems very fragile.
01:45Yes, indeed, Maeve.
01:46I mean, first of all, this is not the end of the war.
01:49It's a ceasefire.
01:50And in our news vocabulary, that's probably the best word we could use today.
01:54Now, is it fragile?
01:56Yes, because we have seen earlier this morning already attacks in Israel and the region.
02:02And are there questions still lingering?
02:04Absolutely.
02:05The question, number one, when does it start?
02:08Neither side, neither Trump nor the Iranians would say when it starts.
02:11And then the precondition that Trump had said would be absolutely necessary,
02:16the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, that is also a little murky.
02:19Iran said it will reopen the street, but under the condition that it will maintain the control
02:26of the management of the strait.
02:29So a lot to unpack here.
02:31And the Farsi and the American version, the English-speaking version, are not entirely clear.
02:36They're not entirely saying the same thing.
02:40But, of course, it gives us, the world, the people in the region, a glimmer of hope.
02:45And all this comes after an amazing rollercoaster 48 hours or more, if we include the Easter weekend,
02:53when Trump made apocalyptic threats against Iran, trying to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
03:00And just hours before the deadline, he said in a tweet on his social media post,
03:06a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.
03:11I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.
03:14Now, Maeve, we've never heard such language by an American president, at least in public.
03:20And this was very disturbing and very troubling, even for military experts that I spoke to yesterday.
03:26Now, then, 90 minutes before the deadline, Trump made this announcement of the ceasefire,
03:35mentioning the 10-point plan of Iran.
03:37And he said this, this will be a double-sided ceasefire.
03:41The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all military objectives
03:46and are very far along with a definitive agreement concerning long-term peace with Iran and peace in the Middle
03:53East.
03:53Interesting, Maeve, in a subsequent post, Trump spoke of a lot of positive action that he's seeing ahead for the
04:02Middle East,
04:03said that big money will be made, Iran can start the reconstruction process,
04:08and it could be a golden age for the entire Middle East, if, of course, things go according to plan.
04:16Of course, Stefan, because this is just an announcement for now.
04:19A deal still needs to be struck, so all eyes as well, on this Friday in Islamabad, whether peace talks
04:23take place.
04:24Thank you so much for that update, because, of course, Iran, for their part, has said talks will be taking
04:28place this Friday in Islamabad,
04:31but the White House is yet to confirm their attendance for those talks.
04:34For more, we can cross now over to Euronews Leon and bring in our Omid Lahabi from our Farsi news
04:40desk.
04:41Good morning, Omid. Thank you so much for joining us.
04:43Look, we're hearing Iranian state media here portraying this deal as a big victory against the U.S. and Israel.
04:49Tell us more.
04:52As Anon said, two weeks' ceasefire agreement has been reached between Iran and the United States.
04:59Iran's National Security Council has stated that negotiations to resolve all disputes will begin this Friday in Islamabad,
05:08based on a 10-point plan, based on a 10-point plan.
05:12Iran's proposal includes guaranteeing safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
05:18In exchange, they are demanding war repression and the lifting of sanctions.
05:24Based on current reports, shipping through the Strait will continue during these weeks.
05:32But Abbas Haragchi, Iranian foreign minister, said passage would be allowed under Iranian military management.
05:43In addition, passing ships must pay a shipping fee to Iran and Oman as coastal states.
05:50This is being framed as a standard procedure for pilotage costs,
05:56which is already recognized under international maritime law.
06:01Another critical point is that Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif mentioned the ceasefire includes Hezbollah.
06:09However, Israel has stated that while it will stop attacks on Iran,
06:15it will continue its operation against Hezbollah.
06:21So, of course, this is a significant step, but the situation remains fragile.
06:27We'll have to wait and see if this 14-day window leads to a real peace deal or just more
06:35tension.
06:35Indeed, that's it. In a nutshell, Omid Lahabi, thank you so much for bringing us all those details there from
06:40Euronews in Lyon.
06:42Well, despite the temporary ceasefire being announced, Saudi Arabia has already said it has intercepted five missiles.
06:49Also, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE are still on high alert.
06:52For the view from the region, we can cross now straight over to Dubai and bring in Euronews correspondent,
06:57Jane Witherspoon. Good morning, Jane. Any reactions so far to this temporary truce?
07:04Good morning. Well, there is a real sense of optimism and positivity this morning
07:10after what was a pretty stressful and tense day and night leading up to the announcement of that temporary ceasefire.
07:19As you mentioned there, though, as well, of course, overnight, not long after that agreement was decided upon,
07:25we did have warnings of imminent attacks, renewed attacks across the region here in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and
07:34Saudi Arabia.
07:36I mean, our last warning alert went off at around 3.30 a.m. this morning.
07:41As you can imagine, the question, though, on everybody's lips is what happens after that two-week period?
07:48We've got people questioning, does the Strait of Ormura's become a dump and pump scheme
07:54in terms of it's open for two weeks to let the ships pass?
07:57Then what happens? Do the blockades return as well as the tension and the high stress that we are seeing?
08:03So, of course, a lot of questions.
08:05But all in all, there is a sense of hope that this is the beginning, the start, a resolution for
08:11peace across the region.
08:14OK, a sense of cautious optimism there.
08:16Jane Witherspoon, thank you so much for that update there from Dubai.
08:20Now, moving on.
08:21All eyes are on the White House today when the NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, calls by to see Donald
08:26Trump.
08:27President Trump has called NATO partners cowards for limiting U.S. forces' access to bases on their territories
08:33and for not leading efforts to open the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
08:36With so much tension in the air, some have been even contemplating whether a NATO without the U.S. is
08:41even possible.
08:42Our Jakubianus takes a look.
08:46Donald Trump is not always praising other people, but this one is an exception.
08:50Secretary-General is great.
08:52And Mark Rutte, he's a great person, but he's got...
08:57And, you know, it all began with, if you want to know the truth, Greenland.
09:00We want Greenland.
09:01They don't want to give it to us.
09:03And I said, bye-bye.
09:05And as NATO boss Mark Rutte is visiting Trump today, your reporter started to wonder,
09:10could U.S. President say one day bye-bye to NATO?
09:14Let's look at what we have actually in the basket.
09:19Under the NATO treaty, the exit process seems simple.
09:23A country submits a formal notice, and one year later, they are out.
09:27But under U.S. domestic law, it is a completely different story.
09:30In 2023, legislation was passed to block any president from quitting all by themselves.
09:37And to legally withdraw, Trump would need a two-third supermajority in the Senate or a specific act of Congress.
09:44And although no one has ever fully left the alliance, Paris came close.
09:49In the 1960s, President Charles de Gaulle pulled France out of NATO's military command.
09:54U.S. troops were ordered to leave French soil, and the alliance had to pack up its headquarters and move
10:00from Paris to Brussels.
10:01And it took more than four decades for France to rejoin the military command in 2009.
10:08However, even if Trump cannot easily withdraw, experts warn he could still follow a similar path and hollow out U
10:15.S. participation.
10:16And he could severely slash funding, withdraw key personnel, or simply refuse to honor the mutual defense pledge.
10:24And if Washington stays in the alliance in name only, calling it...
10:28This is NATO, and I've always said NATO's a paper tacker.
10:32And I've always said we help NATO, but they'll never help us.
10:36One could say NATO is already weakened from within, having lost the one thing that matters the most.
10:42It's credibility.
10:48And that was Jakob Janis there reporting for us.
10:51Now moving on, the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance continues his visit to Hungary today,
10:56where he's throwing his support behind Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban,
10:59just five days ahead of crucial parliamentary elections.
11:03For more, I'm joined here on set by our Hungarian correspondent, Chandr Zeros.
11:07Good morning.
11:08Tell us about this visit, and will it have any impact on the outcome of the elections?
11:12Good morning, Maeve.
11:14Indeed, yesterday morning, J.D. Vance landed in Budapest,
11:18and we know for a while that Donald Trump, the U.S. President, loves Viktor Orban.
11:23He loves his illiberal politics, and Orban was the only EU leader who openly supported Trump's re-election bid.
11:31But Trump doesn't really like to travel that much, so he sent J.D. Vance there,
11:36and J.D. Vance was perfect for this job because he also loves Trump, he also loves Orban.
11:42But he is very hostile towards the European Union, so he endorsed Orban, he pushed for his re-election bid.
11:51But he also sent a very, very strong and brutal message to the European Union and to Brussels, so let's
11:59listen to that.
12:00I did want to send a signal to everybody, particularly the bureaucrats in Brussels who have done everything that they
12:06can to hold down the people of Hungary because they don't like the leader who has actually stood up for
12:12the people of Hungary.
12:12And I think it's important to say that. The bureaucrats in Brussels have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary.
12:19They have tried to make Hungary less energy independent.
12:24They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers, and they've done it all because they hate this guy.
12:30J.D. Vance there. And Shander, how have the bureaucrats in Brussels been reacting to this statement?
12:34I know there's deep concern in this town and among EU capitals about Hungarians' ties to Russia ahead of these
12:40elections.
12:41Well, indeed, while J.D. Vance was landing in Hungary, Bloomberg released an explosive story yesterday.
12:48It was about a phone conversation between Prime Minister Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin last October,
12:56in which Prime Minister Orban actually offered his help to Russia.
13:01He said, I'm at your disposal for any matter where I can help.
13:05Orban also compared their relationship to a relationship of a mouse and a tiger, which is very disturbing in a
13:14way.
13:14And this comes after various reports of how Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Sziato has a deep and friendly relationship with
13:24his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
13:27Now, Prime Minister Orban was grilled on the X social media by Donald Tusk, who is the Prime Minister of
13:34Poland.
13:35And Orban replied in a tweet in which he confirmed a phone call and he said that it's true I
13:43spoke with President Putin about ending the war and organizing a US-Russia peace summit in Budapest.
13:49What have you done for peace?
13:51Overall, I'm personally pretty sure that behind these leaks and behind these tapped phone calls,
13:57there are some Western governments and Western secret services who are actually fed up with the pro-Russian policy of
14:06Viktor Orban.
14:08I'm also personally very much convinced that, you know, more leaks will come in the coming days.
14:14And this is really bad news for Orban because this is a campaign issue in Hungary and the opposition is
14:22attacking Orban very hard.
14:24They are saying that Orban is betraying Hungarian interest and he's betraying European interest as well.
14:31OK, Sándor ZÃros and more, of course, to read on yournews.com.
14:34Thank you so much for that update.
14:36And now for the view from the European Parliament on all these various issues.
14:39Coming up, we'll be joined by Mark Botenga, a Belgian politician and member of the European Parliament for the left
14:46group.
14:46He's known for his work on energy policy, social justice and international affairs.
14:51Yes, he's also been a very vocal critic of EU economic and foreign policy positions.
14:57Good morning, Mark Botenga.
14:58Good morning.
14:58Great to have you with us. Thanks for joining us.
15:00First, what is the view from the Parliament on this temporary truce between the Americans, the Israelis and the Iranians?
15:06Well, from the Parliament, I'm not sure.
15:07I mean, we haven't had a session right now.
15:09What I think, first of all, is that we should celebrate this.
15:11I mean, this means there's no more for the moment, at least, if it holds, innocent Iranians are going to
15:15be bombed.
15:16No more schools, no more factories, no more hospitals, because this is what's been going on.
15:21And I think the position of the EU on this has been horrible.
15:24I mean, we've had speeches by Ursula von der Leyen, by Kaya Callas, basically ignoring the fact that the United
15:31States and Israel illegally attacked Iran.
15:33So this was amazing.
15:35Like, they've been speaking about Iran attacking its neighbours rather than Iran being a victim.
15:39So we've mixed this up.
15:40So if this ceasefire holds, and I really hope so, it'll be very, very positive for, of course, in the
15:45first place, Iranians.
15:46But there is a caveat.
15:47The Israelis have said that they welcome the ceasefire, but it does not include Lebanon.
15:51That's concerning.
15:52Well, it is very concerning.
15:53I mean, we've seen that Israel has not respected, I mean, like the United States, really, in this war, any
15:58rules on international law, on human rights.
16:01And they are now trying to occupy a big part of Lebanon, you know, up to one-fifth of Lebanon.
16:06They've been ethnically cleansing the south of Lebanon.
16:08So that's extremely concerning.
16:10And once again, let me bring this back to the European Union.
16:12Why are we silent?
16:14Why are our top officials not condemning this?
16:17Why are we not taking sanctions?
16:19Well, Antonio Costa, the council president, has been quite vocal.
16:21He's had a cause with the president of Iran.
16:23He's called the situation unacceptable.
16:25He's told Donald Trump not to move in.
16:26But, of course, we've seen Ursula von der Leyen very quiet.
16:29Well, yeah, but, I mean, even Antonio Costa, when you see basically their statements, all of them, and there's been,
16:33I mean, they've got the same, basically, notes, I'm guessing.
16:38When Antonio Costa, the council president, calls the Iranian president, he basically blames Iran for the war.
16:44Well, you know, it's very clear when Russia attacks Ukraine, the aggressor is Russia.
16:48When the United States and Israel attack Iran, the aggressors are the United States and Israel.
16:52And, you know, top officials, Costa, von der Leyen, Kalas, have not been able to say this and to follow
16:58up.
16:58Because, obviously, once you have this, you need to follow up with actions.
17:01So what should they be saying and doing right now?
17:03Well, first of all, they should have condemned the war.
17:06They should have condemned the war crimes.
17:07You know, imagine that you've got 160 people killed in a strike on a school in Iran, and the European
17:15Union is not able to condemn this.
17:17Imagine that.
17:18They should have condemned the genocidal rhetoric of President Trump last night, saying, I'm going to blow up a country,
17:24I'm going to end the civilization.
17:25Of course, you should react.
17:26And they should have favored diplomacy.
17:28Because what have we seen?
17:29We've seen that China and Pakistan have basically taken diplomacy in their hands, have said, we're going to, you know,
17:35bring about this ceasefire by putting Iran and the United States around the table.
17:39So this is incredible.
17:40The European Union has done nothing, no diplomatic efforts whatsoever for a crisis that not only is violating human rights,
17:47is violating international law, but it was also violating our interests.
17:50You know, people see the gas prices going up and they see that their European leaders are basically, you know,
17:55on a Easter holiday.
17:55Well, Kayakalas, I understand, is in Saudi Arabia today, but just the Hungarian elections are coming up this weekend.
18:01How do you feel about J.D. Vance's trip this week to Budapest and also blaming Brussels bureaucrats?
18:07Well, it's not a surprise.
18:08You know, it's in the National Security Strategy of the United States that was published a few months ago, where
18:13they openly say we're going to intervene in Europe, supporting so-called patriotic forces.
18:18So influencing basically the elections inside, you know, it's direct interference.
18:23Something the United States have been doing in many countries.
18:25You know, they've been doing this in Africa, Latin America, and they're now doing it openly as well in Europe.
18:29So I'm not surprised.
18:30I'm, of course, very concerned.
18:31I'm also very concerned that when we speak about, also in the Parliament, but also with the Commission, about foreign
18:36interference, it's often about Russia.
18:38It's often about other countries, but it's very rarely about the United States.
18:41Well, this interference is now open.
18:42It's brazen.
18:43It's, you know, unapologetic.
18:45So I think we need to take this seriously and we need to be saying, guys, these United States, they
18:49are not an ally.
18:51Okay.
18:51Mark Bottenga, MEP there from the left.
18:53Thank you so much for joining us here this morning on Europe Today.
18:55And thank you so much for tuning in and for watching.
18:58As always, you can catch more news, more analysis and deep, longer reads on yournews.com or download our app.
19:04Take care.
19:04See you soon.
19:05Thanks for watching.
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