Live updates: US and Iran agree to conditional ceasefire
US President Donald Trump has hailed a “big day for world peace”, after Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
His post on Truth Social came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lebanon would not be included in the ceasefire, contradicting Iran's version of the agreement.
“The United States will be helping with the traffic build-up in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action,” Mr Trump wrote. He added that there was “big money” to be made.
“Iran can start the reconstruction process,” he said. “This could be the Golden Age of the Middle East.”
The deal was reached just hours before Mr Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face "a whole civilisation" being wiped out.
Germany welcomed the ceasefire as a first step “towards lasting peace”.
“The consequences of the war continuing would be incalculable,” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wrote on X.
Ukraine, too, welcomed the ceasefire, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha calling for similar “decisiveness” by Washington in stopping Russia's war in Ukraine.
“American decisiveness works. We believe it is time for sufficient decisiveness to force Moscow to cease fire and end its war against Ukraine,” Mr Sybiha wrote on X.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit the Gulf on Wednesday to “discuss diplomatic efforts to uphold the ceasefire”, Downing Street said.
Mr Starmer will meet leaders of countries that have been on the front line of the conflict, the statement added.
He is also to hold talks on ensuring the Strait of Hormuz is reopened permanently, with the UK keen to lead international efforts to protect shipping through the narrow channel.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the US-Iran ceasefire agreement “is a step back from the brink after weeks of escalation”.
“US-Iran deal creates a much needed chance to tone down threats, stop missiles and restart shipping,” she said, calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it would allow ships to pass through under its supervision.
Iran has proposed a 10-point agreement as the basis for talks on a permanent end to the war, including continued control over the strait – a condition that Arab Gulf states have opposed.
Still, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Iran's willingness to reopen the strait, calling on all sides to abide by the ceasefire agreement that he called a “very good thing”. He also urged for Lebanon to be part of the ceasefire agreement.
Just hours after the ceasefire was announced, Bahrain issued an alert calling for residents to seek safety during an impending attack. Shortly after, its Interior Ministry said the Civil Defence had extinguished a fire that broke out at a facility “as a result of the Iranian aggression”.
“No injuries were reported,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
Israel continued its attacks on Lebanon with strikes on a hospital and an ambulance, resulting in deaths and injuries.
