Jerusalem, Undefined—Israel and Iran said Tuesday they had agreed to US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire, on the 12th day of war between the foes.
Here are the latest developments:
Israel, Iran agree to ceasefire
The Israeli government said it had agreed to the US-proposed ceasefire after achieving all of its objectives in the war with Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailing a “historic victory.”
Armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said Israel’s strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear programme “by years” while Netanyahu vowed to thwart “any attempt” by Iran to rebuild it.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would respect the ceasefire, provided Israel held to its terms.
“If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” Pezeshkian said during a phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to the presidency’s website.
Pezeshkian said Iran would continue to “assert its legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of atomic power but was “ready to resolve the issues… at the negotiating table.”
Final salvos
Israel “refrained” from further strikes on Iran on Tuesday after a call between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the premier’s office announced, though it did destroy a radar installation.
Trump had accused both Iran and Israel of violating the ceasefire he announced late on Monday, but hours later he posted that it was now in effect.
“Following President Trump’s conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel refrained from further strikes,” a statement said.
Iran’s state media had said on Tuesday that a wave of missiles was headed towards Israel around the time the ceasefire was expected to take hold.
Israeli emergency services later said four people were killed in a missile strike in the southern city of Beersheba.
At least 50 impacts have been acknowledged across Israel since the war began, and 28 people have been killed, according to official figures.
Iranian media said an overnight Israeli strike on the north of the country killed 16 people, just before Trump’s ceasefire announcement.
It also reported that an overnight strike killed nuclear scientist Mohammad Reza Seddighi Saber, who was under US sanctions.
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 610 civilians, Iran’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
No ‘regime change’
En route to a NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump rejected the idea of “regime change” in Iran.
“If there was, there was, but no I don’t want it. I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Regime change takes chaos, and ideally we don’t want to see so much chaos.”
The US president had previously toyed with the idea on social media, while Netanyahu had called on the Iranian people to overthrow their leaders.
International relief
After mounting fears of regional spillover from the war between Israel and Iran, the international community appeared to breathe a sigh of relief at news of the truce.
“If a ceasefire has indeed been achieved, this can only be welcomed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia hoped “that this will be a sustainable ceasefire.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged both sides to adhere to Trump’s proposal, adding that if the deal succeeded, “then it will be a very positive development that can make the Middle East and the world safer.”
World oil prices fell sharply in response to the ceasefire, as well as a statement from Trump that China could continue to purchase Iranian oil.
