World leaders have welcomed a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. announced on Wednesday, following a tense day marked by threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to wipe out Iranian civilisation if a deal was not reached.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he welcomed the ceasefire but warned that the situation in Lebanon remains critical, calling for the country to be included in any agreement.
Israel has announced it will continue its operations in Lebanon despite the ceasefire.
In Spain, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told RNE radio that the world came “perilously close” to disaster following Trump’s ultimatum to Tehran.
He added that the threat was “absolutely unassumable for humankind” and that it was too early to determine whether the conflict was definitively over.
“When the leader of a military superpower makes such threats, I take them seriously,” Albares stressed.
Ukraine also welcomed the ceasefire and the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz, calling for similar “decisiveness” from 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,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to the Middle East to hold talks with Gulf partners on ensuring the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains permanent following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, his office said on Wednesday.
“I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world,” Starmer said in a statement.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed the ceasefire and thanked Pakistan for its role in mediating the truce.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised the ceasefire, while criticising the rhetoric of Donald Trump.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to use language such as that from the president of the United States. And I think it will cause some concern, which is there,” the prime minister said.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hailed the agreement, according to Presidential Press Secretary Aibek Smadiyarov.
Tokayev also praised Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, for their efforts in mediating the deal.
The Kazakh leader expressed his hope for the deal to be made permanent, while adding his support for efforts aimed at stabilising the region and reducing tensions.
Indonesia welcomed the ceasefire, as Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang called on all parties to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and diplomacy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his support for Trump’s decision to suspend strikes on Iran, but stressed that the ceasefire does not extend to Israeli operations in Lebanon.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the ceasefire “represents a very important opportunity that must be seized to make room for negotiations, diplomacy, and constructive dialogue.”
In a statement on Facebook, the ministry added that a truce must be built upon with a full commitment to “stopping military operations and respecting freedom of international navigation.”
The Omani foreign ministry said it welcomes the announcement and expressed appreciation for “the efforts of Pakistan and all parties calling for an end to the war.”
“We affirm the importance of intensifying efforts now to find solutions that can end the crisis from its roots and achieve a permanent cessation of the state of war and hostilities in the region,” the ministry said on X.
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Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks drew the U.S. into Afghanistan, the Taliban is seeking a new relationship with Washington built on diplomacy, investment and trade, despite deep divisions between the former enemies.
Saudi Arabia is now facing pressure from both ends of the Arabian Peninsula. While the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting Gulf shipping and energy flows, fighting has intensified in western Yemen, bringing the Houthis back into direct confrontation with the kingdom.
Iran has warned it will retaliate against any future U.S. attacks, saying American energy interests and infrastructure across the Gulf could become targets in a further escalation of the conflict.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
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