Fragile ceasefire holding, Trump envoy says peace talks with Iran 'promising'
People gesture as they attend a gathering to support Iran's Armed Forces, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 24, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV/ISTANBUL - The ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding on Wednesday a day after both countries signalled that their air war had ended, at least for now.
Each side claimed victory on Tuesday after 12 days of war, which the U.S. joined with airstrikes in support of Israel to take out Iran's uranium-enrichment facilities.
Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said late on Tuesday that talks between the United States and Iran were "promising" and that Washington was hopeful for a long-term peace deal.
"We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising. We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran," Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" show.
"Now it's for us to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace agreement, and I am very confident that we are going to achieve that," he added.
Trump said over the weekend that U.S. stealth bombers had "obliterated" Iran's programme to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its enrichment activities are for civilian purposes only.
But Trump's claim appeared to be contradicted by an initial report by one of his administration's intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter.
One of the sources said Iran's enriched uranium stocks had not been eliminated, and the country's nuclear programme, much of which is buried deep underground, may have been set back only a month or two.
The White House said the intelligence assessment was "flat out wrong."
According to the report, which was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the strikes sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities, but did not collapse underground buildings, said one of the people familiar with its findings.
Some centrifuges remained intact, the Washington Post said, citing an unnamed person familiar with the report.
Trump's administration told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that its weekend strikes had "degraded" Iran's nuclear programme, short of Trump's assertion that the facilities had been "obliterated."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack had removed the nuclear threat against Israel and he was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its weapons program.
"We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles," he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had successfully ended the war in what he called a "great victory," according to Iranian media.
Pezeshkian also told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Tehran was ready to resolve differences with the U.S., according to official news agency IRNA.
Israel launched the surprise air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities.
RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
Israel's military lifted restrictions on activity across the country at 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, and officials said Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main airport near Tel Aviv, had reopened. Iran's airspace likewise will be reopened, state-affiliated Nournews reported.
Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday, finding some respite after plummeting in the last two sessions, as investors assessed the stability of the ceasefire and the diminished prospect of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The truce appeared fragile: Both Israel and Iran took hours to acknowledge they had accepted the ceasefire and accused each other of violating it.
Trump scolded both sides but aimed especially stinging criticism at Israel, telling the close U.S. ally to "calm down now." He later said Israel called off further attacks at his command.
Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said he told his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, that his country would respect the ceasefire unless Iran violated it. Pezeshkian likewise said Iran would honour the ceasefire as long as Israel did, according to Iranian media.
Israeli armed forces chief of staff Eyal Zamir said a "significant chapter" of the conflict had concluded but the campaign against Iran was not over. He said the military would refocus on its war against Iran-backed Hamas militants in Gaza.
Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed in their country by Israeli strikes and 4,746 injured. Iran's retaliatory bombardment killed 28 people in Israel, the first time its air defences were penetrated by large numbers of Iranian missiles. REUTERS
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AsiaOne
38 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Fragile ceasefire holding, Trump envoy says peace talks with Iran 'promising', World News
WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV/ISTANBUL — The ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding on Wednesday (June 25) a day after both countries signalled that their air war had ended, at least for now. Each side claimed victory on Tuesday after 12 days of war, which the US joined with airstrikes in support of Israel to take out Iran's uranium-enrichment facilities. Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said late on Tuesday that talks between the United States and Iran were "promising" and that Washington was hopeful for a long-term peace deal. "We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising. We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran," Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" show. "Now it's for us to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace agreement, and I am very confident that we are going to achieve that," he added. Trump said over the weekend that US stealth bombers had "obliterated" Iran's programme to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its enrichment activities are for civilian purposes only. But Trump's claim appeared to be contradicted by an initial report by one of his administration's intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter. One of the sources said Iran's enriched uranium stocks had not been eliminated, and the country's nuclear programme, much of which is buried deep underground, may have been set back only a month or two. The White House said the intelligence assessment was "flat out wrong." According to the report, which was produced by the Defence Intelligence Agency, the strikes sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities, but did not collapse underground buildings, said one of the people familiar with its findings. Some centrifuges remained intact, the Washington Post said, citing an unnamed person familiar with the report. Trump's administration told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that its weekend strikes had "degraded" Iran's nuclear programme, short of Trump's assertion that the facilities had been "obliterated." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack had removed the nuclear threat against Israel and he was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its weapons programme. "We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles," he said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had successfully ended the war in what he called a "great victory," according to Iranian media. Pezeshkian also told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Tehran was ready to resolve differences with the US, according to official news agency IRNA. Israel launched the surprise air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq. Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities. Iran has arrested 700 people accused of ties with Israel during the 12-day conflict, the state-affiliated Nournews reported on Wednesday and Iran executed three men on Wednesday, convicted of collaborating with Israel's Mossad spy agency and smuggling equipment used in an unnamed assassination, the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency reported. Restrictions lifted Israel's military lifted restrictions on activity across the country at 8pm local time (1.00am on Wednesday in Singapore time) on Tuesday, and officials said Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main airport near Tel Aviv, had reopened. Iran's airspace likewise will be reopened, state-affiliated Nournews reported. Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday, finding some respite after plummeting in the last two sessions, as investors assessed the stability of the ceasefire and the diminished prospect of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The truce appeared fragile: Both Israel and Iran took hours to acknowledge they had accepted the ceasefire and accused each other of violating it. Trump scolded both sides but aimed especially stinging criticism at Israel, telling the close US ally to "calm down now." He later said Israel called off further attacks at his command. Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said he told his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, that his country would respect the ceasefire unless Iran violated it. Pezeshkian likewise said Iran would honour the ceasefire as long as Israel did, according to Iranian media. Israeli armed forces chief of staff Eyal Zamir said a "significant chapter" of the conflict had concluded but the campaign against Iran was not over. He said the military would refocus on its war against Iran-backed Hamas militants in Gaza. Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed in their country by Israeli strikes and 4,746 injured. Iran's retaliatory bombardment killed 28 people in Israel, the first time its air defences were penetrated by large numbers of Iranian missiles. [[nid:719458]]
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Asia stocks edge up, dollar droops as ceasefire buoys confidence
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Business Times
2 hours ago
- Business Times
Trump baffles with sudden U-turn on China buying Iranian oil
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Jun 24) appeared to undermine years of US sanctions on Iran, giving its biggest customer, China the green light to carry on buying its oil as he seeks to bolster a ceasefire with Israel. The announcement on social media, which surprised both oil traders and officials in his own government, could undermine the central element of Washington's Iran policy under multiple administrations, which have sought to cut the regime's main source of revenue by making its top export off limits. 'China can now continue to purchase oil from Iran,' the president said on Truth Social, amid a flurry of posts demanding Israel and Iran cease hostilities. The statement landed only hours after Trump declared the Middle East rivals had agreed to a ceasefire, which got off to a shaky start with early breaches by both sides. It follows massive US airstrikes on several of the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities on Sunday, an offensive aimed at stopping Tehran from obtaining an atomic weapon. Oil prices extended losses on Tuesday after Trump's comments, with West Texas Intermediate futures sinking 6 per cent to settle near US$64 a barrel. Futures plunged as the threat to crude flows from the Israel-Iran conflict faded. US Treasury and State department officials handling Iranian oil sanctions were surprised by Trump's statement and uncertain how to immediately interpret it, according to sources familiar with the situation. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up In the meantime, however, Treasury will continue to strictly enforce related sanctions, said one of the sources, who asked not to be identified given the political and market sensitivity of the issue. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the State Department referred questions to the White House. A senior White House official later signalled that sanctions would remain, saying that the president continues to call on China and others to import American oil rather than Iranian, which would be a violation of US sanctions. The official added that Trump's post was only intended to highlight that his actions over the past several days ensured that the Strait of Hormuz was not impacted, which the official said would have been devastating for China. Tammy Bruce, State Department spokeswoman, declined to provide further specifics during a briefing on Tuesday. 'I'm not going to get ahead of the president or try to guess what his strategy will be,' she said when asked about the comment. 'Things happen quickly and I think we will find out sooner rather than later.' The apparent shift also comes as the Trump administration seeks to hammer out a new trade framework with China and climb down from a tariff war that saw duties reach levels high enough to cut all trade between the world's two biggest economies. The comments appeared to be Trump 'throwing a bone' to China and Iran for cooperating in their respective talks with the US, said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert. 'Most of us are thinking that it's just rhetoric at this point. But it definitely took me by surprise.' Allowing a specific carve out for China may be an effort by Trump to send positive signals to Beijing as he seeks a new tariff deal, said a source familiar with the president's thinking, also asking not to be identified. While the potential shift may ease some legal risks around China's buying of Iranian oil, it's unclear what impact the change would have on actual flows. China, the world's biggest importer, gets about 14 per cent of its crude from Iran. But that figure is likely higher as some imports are masked as shipments from Malaysia, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Oman, in order to circumvent US sanctions, which Beijing does not recognise. While China has not officially purchased Iranian barrels since June 2022, third-party data providers and traders signal flows have been resilient despite broad US sanctions. That's because the Chinese have built a supply chain outside of Western control, which includes dark fleet ships and yuan-denominated payments, supporting imports of more than one million barrels a day. Iran's oil, often purchased at a discount, is vital for China's substantial private refining sector and a crucial source of fuel for its economy, which has struggled under the weight of a slumping property sector. 'The Iranian oil sanctions have been so significant for so long, but also with relatively muted enforcement,' said Daniel Tannebaum, former Treasury official and partner at Oliver Wyman. 'It would be premature to think that this policy, which would benefit both China and Iran, would go ahead without a longer-term view of ensuring stability in the region, before just literally opening up the spigots to allow legal trade of Iranian oil by China.' Trump as recently as last month, insisted all purchases of Iranian oil or petrochemical products 'must stop, NOW!' and that buyers would be subject to secondary sanctions and prevented from engaging in any business with the US. That threat built on previous warnings from his administration. In February, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington intended to squeeze Iran's oil exports to less than 10 per cent of current levels, as it renewed the 'maximum pressure' campaign deployed during Trump's first term. As part of that effort, the US has sanctioned hundreds of oil tankers for their role in handling Tehran's petroleum and, absent an easing in those measures, some buyers may still take a more cautious approach. The White House has also targeted Chinese entities that bought Iranian oil, something that could make other buyers wary. Likewise, secondary sanctions on Iran's sales remain in place and it's not clear where the president's remarks will leave those. The sanctions were intended to force Iran to voluntarily give up uranium enrichment so that it would never be in a position to obtain a nuclear weapon. It's still unclear if US airstrikes over the weekend seriously damaged the country's nuclear facilities, while the International Atomic Energy Agency still does not know what happened to Tehran's stockpile of 409 kilogrammes of highly-enriched uranium – potentially enough for 10 nuclear warheads. BLOOMBERG
