The US and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, with Israel also signing on, as last-minute diplomacy led by Pakistan halts planned US strikes. Talks are set to begin in Islamabad, but continued attacks across the region highlight the fragility of the truce. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Netanyahu says Iran ceasefire does not include Lebanon
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country supported US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks but said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.
Trump says Iran’s uranium will be ‘perfectly taken care of’
Trump says China pushed Iran to negotiate ceasefire
Trump claims ‘total and complete victory’ after US-Iran ceasefire
President Donald Trump told AFP on Tuesday that the United States had won a “total and complete victory” after agreeing a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran.
“Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it,” Trump said in a brief telephone interview shortly after the announcement of the truce.
Islamic Resistance suspends operations after US-Iran truce
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, said it would suspend its operations in Iraq and across the region for two weeks, according to a statement issued on Wednesday, in a move that follows announcements of a two-week suspension of hostilities between the United States and Iran.
Pro-government protestors chant ‘Death to America’ in Tehran
Pro-government demonstrators in the streets of Iran’s capital Wednesday morning after the ceasefire had been announced screamed: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!”
Organisers tried at a point to calm demonstrators, but they continued the chants.
They also burned American and Israeli flags in the street.
It shows the ongoing anger from hard-liners, who had been preparing for what many assumed would be an apocalyptical battle with the US.
NATO chief to meet Trump after US-Iran ceasefire
NATO chief Mark Rutte will hold talks with Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, one day after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
The US president has expressed anger at Western partners’ refusal to back his war on Iran, rocking the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance.
He branded NATO partners “cowards” for limiting US forces’ access to bases on their territories and for refusing to lead efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Ceasefire deal a ‘victory’ for the US: White House
US, Iran and Israel agree to ceasefire
US President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, swerving to deescalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal.
Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges and power plants, as the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday. Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin.
Israel has also agreed to the ceasefire. The ceasefire calls for Israel and Hezbollah to halt fighting in Lebanon, according to the prime minister of Pakistan, which has been mediating talks.
• US President Donald Trump agreed “to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”
• Iran said it would halt its attacks if attacks against it stop and that safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz would be possible for two weeks in coordination with Iranian armed forces.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad street corner last week.
