The international community has largely welcomed a deal announced by the US and Iran, under which the warring sides agreed to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
But some observers were quick to question what exactly the US had achieved in its three-and-a-half-month conflict with Iran and whether the death toll and enormous cost to the global economy were worth it.
In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Italy congratulated the US, the Iranian government, Pakistan, Qatar and other mediators on the "diplomatic breakthrough".
"This is a moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilise the global economy," the statement read. "It is now vital that the detailed negotiations are concluded and this agreement is implemented rapidly and comprehensively. We are ready to support that effort."
The leaders stressed that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon and that they were ready to work with Washington, Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to this end.
"We are prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear, verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear programme," they said.
They also reaffirmed their "full support" for the stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and the importance of a "robust ceasefire."
The situation in Lebanon, which Israel invaded as it sought to attack Iran-backed Hezbollah, emerged as a major sticking point during lengthy negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly infuriated US President Donald Trump by bombing Lebanon even as Washington tried to secure a peace deal.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman thanked Pakistan, which, along with Doha, played a key role in mediation.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meanwhile said the agreement "constitutes an important milestone on the path to establishing lasting peace and stability in the region".
"We hope that complementary negotiations will also continue with a constructive approach," he wrote on social media.
Ben Rhodes, who was a speechwriter when Barack Obama, US president at the time, was negotiating the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, said the new deal leaves an emboldened Iranian regime at great cost to the world.
"This deal reopens a body of water that was open before the war and begins a nuclear negotiation far narrower than what Trump was seeking before the war," he said on X.
Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, since US and Israeli forces first attacked Tehran on February 28. Iran has struck Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases and has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up global energy prices. The US has blockaded Iranian ports in response.
Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a longtime Trump critic, said "Iran is now rich and will control the strait while selling their oil on the open market."
"I was critical of Obama's deal, but this makes that look amazing in comparison," he wrote on social media.
Still, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres hailed the deal as a "critical step" towards resolving the war in the Middle East. He said he "hopes that the parties will build on this new momentum and redouble their efforts towards a final resolution of the conflict".
