President Sheikh Mohamed holds call with Iranian President
President Sheikh Mohamed on Tuesday received a phone call from Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran. During the call, he welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel, expressing hope it would serve as a foundation for enhancing stability, security and peace across the Middle East, state news agency Wam reported. He also reaffirmed the UAE's stance in supporting initiatives that advance peace and regional security. Mr Pezeshkian thanked Sheikh Mohamed for the UAE's position and solidarity. It follows a tumultuous 24 hours for the Gulf, after a thwarted Iranian attack on a major US military base in Qatar on Monday evening. The attack on Al Udeid Airbase, which came in retaliation for the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites at the weekend, led to the closure of airspace above Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq, forcing some flights to be diverted. A Qatari military official said two waves comprising 19 missiles had been launched at the base. All but one were shot down and there were no casualties. US President Donald Trump later said Iran and Israel have agreed to a 12-hour ceasefire, but Tehran initially pushed back on this claim. The ceasefire is expected to be enacted at about midnight Washington time, 'at which point the war will be considered ended', Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform. 'Officially, Iran will start the ceasefire and, upon the 12th hour, Israel will start the ceasefire and, upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-day war will be saluted by the world,' he said.
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