April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the United States has had a decisive military victory over Iran and that Tehran's missile program has been functionally destroyed.

Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to reporters a day after President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of a threatened full-on assault on Iran on Tuesday night, two hours before a deadline he had set for Tehran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

By Dominique Vidalon

PARIS, April 8 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday welcomed home two French nationals released after three and a half years in detention in Iran, calling their return "the end of a terrible ordeal."

Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, had been confined to France's embassy in Tehran since November, after being held since 2022 in the notorious Evin prison on spying charges that France has said were unfounded.

DUBAI, April 8 (Reuters) - Iran could open the Strait of Hormuz in a limited and controlled way on Thursday or Friday ahead of a meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official, involved in the talks, told Reuters on Wednesday.

"If an understanding on a framework for talks is reached, the strait could be opened "limited, under Iran's control," the official said.

By Giselda Vagnoni

ROME, April 8 (Reuters) - Italy will not send any ships to help police the Hormuz Strait area following a ceasefire between the United States and Iran unless it is authorised by the United Nations, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on Wednesday.

"It is not on the agenda. We have already said that we will not send ships unless there is a United Nations initiative," Salvini, who is also infrastructure minister in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's conservative government, told reporters.

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said any country supplying Iran with military weapons will face immediate 50% tariffs with no exemptions, announcing the duty in a social media post one day after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

April 8 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had carried out the largest strikes against Lebanon's Hezbollah since this war began, striking the militant group's infrastructure within the heart of civilian areas across the country.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

President Donald Trump promised "regime change" in Iran but the Islamic republic has emerged intact from the US-Israeli war, leaving opponents and activists disappointed and frightened.

With Iranian officials hailing the last-minute ceasefire as a triumph for the system that took power in the 1979 Islamic revolution, rights groups now fear emboldened authorities will launch a mass new domestic crackdown.

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - The United States will work closely with Iran, which has undergone "regime change," and will be talking about tariff and sanctions relief with Tehran, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday after declaring a two-week ceasefire.

"We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran," Trump said in a social media post.

He also said that any country supplying military weapons to Iran would immediately face a 50% tariff on any goods exported to the U.S.

ANKARA, April 8 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday welcomed a ceasefire declared in the Iran war, urging its full implementation on the ground and warning against any provocations or acts of sabotage.

He said he hoped the ceasefire would hold and that the region could return to peace after suffering from conflict and instability since late February, adding that Turkey would continue to support efforts towards a lasting peace.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Daren Butler)

By Humeyra Pamuk

BUDAPEST, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is "impatient" about making progress toward ending the Iran war and has instructed his negotiating team to engage the Iranians in good faith, Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event in Budapest during his trip to Hungary, Vance said a deal was possible if Iran negotiated sincerely, but cautioned that while some parts of the Iranian system were approaching the talks constructively, others were not. He described the situation as a "fragile truce."