Can the US, Iran Agree to a Durable End to the War?: Explainer

The two-week ceasefire deal struck between the US and Iran on April 8 averted US President Donald Trump’s threatened escalation of a war that has already killed thousands of people and sparked a global energy crunch.

The truce appeared to be largely holding, although a major point of contention was whether the agreement extended to Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Demonstrators protest against US military action in Iran outside the White House on April 8.

Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The ceasefire is intended to buy time for the US and Iran to try to reach an accord that definitively ends the conflict. The two sides are expected to send delegations to Pakistan, a ...