Will the ceasefire between Israel and Iran last?
It's been a day of chaos and confusion in the Middle East but also a day that could be the tentative start of a peace process.
Matthew Doran in the ABC's correspondent and speaks to David Speers from Be'er Sheva.
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SBS Australia
11 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Live: Israel-Iran ceasefire appears intact after Trump lashes both countries
In an extraordinary turn of events, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran — which each side accused the other of violating just hours after it had been agreed — now appears to be holding, after United States President Donald Trump lashed both sides in an expletive-laden outburst. Israel said Iran launched missiles shortly after the truce began on Tuesday —claims Tehran denied. Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly paused a tougher response following a call with Trump, later confirming a bilateral ceasefire had been agreed after Israel met its war aims, including curbing Iran's nuclear and missile threats. All sides appear to be framing the announcement as a win. Netanyahu described it as a "historic victory" for Israel while addressing his nation, and in Iran, the President claimed his people had instigated the end of the "12-day war". Trump, for his part, said that "Israel and Iran wanted to stop the war, equally!" in a post on Truth Social. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, earlier vowed not to surrender. Trump, who had recently hinted at regime change, now says he is not seeking it. — Essam Al-Ghalib & Hannah Ritchie
News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Israel's Netanyahu vows to block Iran 'nuclear weapon' as he declares victory
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a "historic victory" on Tuesday after agreeing a ceasefire with Iran and insisted that his country's arch-foe would never achieve a nuclear weapon. The premier's comments, delivered in an address to the nation, came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was willing to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme. Pezeshkian insisted, however, that Iran would continue to "assert its legitimate rights" to the peaceful use of atomic energy. "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," Netanyahu said after the ceasefire ended 12 days of deadly air and missile strikes between the arch foes. "We have thwarted Iran's nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt." Israel's strikes eventually drew in the United States, which on Sunday hit Iran's underground nuclear facilities with powerful "bunker-buster" bombs that Israel lacked. After Iran retaliated with a missile attack Monday night targeting a US base in Qatar, President Donald Trump called for de-escalation, announcing the contours of a truce deal hours later. In a phone call Tuesday, Pezeshkian told his Emirati counterpart "to explain to them, in your dealings with the United States, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is only seeking to assert its legitimate rights". "It has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and does not seek them," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, adding that Iran was "ready to resolve the issues... at the negotiating table". Israel has said its war, which began on June 13, was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran has consistently denied. Israel's military said that its strikes had set back Iran's nuclear programme "by years" and that the campaign against the country was now "entering a new phase". After Trump angrily berated both sides for early violations of the truce on Tuesday, Tehran announced it would respect the terms of the deal if Israel did the same, while Israel said it had refrained from further strikes. - Claims of victory - Before Netanyahu spoke, Israel's government said its military had removed the "dual existential threat" of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. "We've set Iran's nuclear project back by years, and the same applies to its missile programme," Israel's chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a later statement. Iran's top security body, meanwhile, said the Islamic republic's forces had "compelled" Israel to "unilaterally" stand down. Its Revolutionary Guards also hailed a last-minute missile salvo fired at Israel as "a historic and unforgettable lesson to the Zionist enemy". - Strikes on US base - Israeli strikes hit nuclear and military targets -- killing scientists and senior military figures -- as well as residential areas, prompting waves of Iranian missile fire on Israel. While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, it has been by far the most destructive confrontation between the arch-foes. The war culminated in US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites using massive bunker-busting bombs, followed by an Iranian reprisal targeting the largest US military facility in the Middle East. Trump shrugged off that response as "weak", thanking Tehran for giving advance notice and announcing the outline of the ceasefire just hours later. - 'Everyone is tired' - Some Israelis on Tuesday welcomed the prospect of a truce. "Everyone is tired. We just want to have some peace of mind," said Tel Aviv resident Tammy Shel, voicing hope for a lasting ceasefire. "For us, for the Iranian people, for the Palestinians, for everyone in the region." In Iran, people remained uncertain whether the peace would hold. Amir, 28, fled from Tehran to the Caspian Sea coast and told AFP by phone, "I really don't know... about the ceasefire but honestly, I don't think things will return to normal." Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 610 civilians and wounded more than 4,700, according to the health ministry. Iran's attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures and rescuers. The international community reacted with cautious optimism to the truce. Saudi Arabia and the European Union welcomed Trump's announcement, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped "that this will be a sustainable ceasefire". But French President Emmanuel Macron warned there was an "increased" risk that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium secretly following the strikes on its nuclear sites. During their talks, Iran and the United States had been at odds over uranium enrichment, which Tehran considers a "non-negotiable" right and which Washington has called a "red line". After the truce was announced, Israel's military chief Zamir said Israel's focus would now shift back to Gaza. The Israeli opposition, the Palestinian Authority and the main group representing the families of Israeli hostages all called for a Gaza truce to complement the Iran ceasefire.
ABC News
39 minutes ago
- ABC News
Warren Tredrea social post promotes 'antisemitic conspiracy theories', Jewish Council says
The Jewish Council of Australia has condemned a social media post by AFL football legend Warren Tredrea, saying it promotes "far-right antisemitic conspiracy theories" and Holocaust denial. In a video posted on Tredrea's Instagram account, a guest on the former Port Adelaide captain and premiership winner's new podcast makes statements about Israel, which he says is a "fake state" that was behind the creation of terror group ISIS. The guest, introduced as British Army veteran AJ Roberts, said Zionists were responsible for "controlling World War II", and also claimed the 9/11 terrorist attacks were carried out by Mossad. "Mossad created ISIS with Barack Obama so ISIS actually stands for 'Israeli Specialist Intelligence Service'," Roberts told Tredrea. The Jewish Council of Australia has criticised the post, saying that blaming World War II on Zionists is a form of Holocaust denial. "The Jewish Council of Australia is deeply disturbed by the amplification of far-right antisemitic conspiracy theories in this Instagram post and podcast episode," executive officer Max Kaiser said in a statement. Mr Kaiser criticised other comments by Tredrea's guest in the same Instagram post, saying it included "bizarre" theories "about satanic rituals, chakras and ley lines which are way off the deep end and do nothing to illuminate current events". Mr Kaiser said while it was possible to make "entirely legitimate" criticism of the Israeli state and Zionism, the claim that "Zionists controlled World War Two" amounted to "a form of Holocaust denial". The comments section alongside the post includes antisemitic slurs. Tredrea, who launched the podcast, named Ballsy, in March, has been contacted by the ABC for comment. He previously rejected an accusation he had been "backing people" who were "antisemitic". After that claim was made on Channel Seven football show The Agenda Setters, Tredrea responded on social media platform X: "What exactly do you mean by antisemitic? Do you even know what that means or is it something more sinister?" The ABC has also contacted AJ Roberts for comment. On podcast platform Spotify, Ballsy is described as a forum where "fearless guests bare their souls and disrupt belief systems". "From sports legends and business titans to politicians, health and wellness visionaries, and explorers of the supernatural, we dive deep with big-hearted, straight-talking guests who aren't afraid to challenge the norms," the description states. The interview with Roberts was uploaded to Spotify late last month, when three short trailers containing extracts from the interview were published on Tredrea's Instagram page. In a response to the Instagram post, one person who identified themselves as a "Jewish Port Adelaide supporter" described the content as antisemitic and asked Tredrea to remove it. "I believe that the trailer you posted is dangerous. Israel, which is colloquially known as 'the Jewish State' is being smeared in this trailer with prejudices and anti-Semitic tropes that significantly impact Jewish people in Australia and around the world," the person wrote. "I am asking you to please consider how this affects my community now that you have aired this trailer." Last week, Port Adelaide Football Club chair David Koch was asked about the security of Tredrea's position on the club's board, after the former Power premiership captain appeared in court to deal with matters arising from his dispute with his former employer Channel Nine, where he worked as a sports newsreader. Tredrea, who also works for Adelaide radio station FiveAA as a football pundit, had claimed Nine unfairly terminated his contract in 2022 because he refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Tredrea had been seeking almost $6 million in lost wages, but the Federal Court dismissed his case last year after accepting Nine's counter-argument that his contract was not going to be renewed because of his job performance. In an affidavit submitted to the court relating to his debt to Nine's legal team, Tredrea described himself as a "private man" who was "not an entity, legal person, person, citizen, resident, name, trust, estate, government entity or employee … or any form of creature of statute". "I believe only gold or silver coins in common circulation can pay a debt," Tredrea stated in the document. The affidavit stated that Tredrea had discharged his debt in the form of a "promissory note". "I have not seen or been presented with any material facts or evidence that shows that a promissory note is not legal tender and cannot, once delivered, discharge a financial obligation or liability to pay a debt, and I believe sincerely that none exists," he stated. Outside court, Tredrea was asked whether he recognised himself as a citizen of Australia and replied: "Absolutely I do". "I am a citizen and they've already been paid from a legal form of payment," he told journalists. During an appearance on FiveAA the following morning, Koch defended Tredrea's position as a director on the club's board and described the views expressed in court as a "private matter". "Warren is a member-elected director of the Port Adelaide board — he represents our members, they elected him. Like all directors on a board he's a volunteer so he's not a paid member of staff," he said. "He's a really good contributor to board meetings and also our football strategic committee. "What happens in his private life is up to him, and whether you agree with some of the things he says or not doesn't really matter. I'm just interested in how he performs as a director on the Port Adelaide board and he's doing pretty well." The ABC contacted the Power for comment about Tredrea's Instagram posts and podcast, but the club declined. A club spokesperson said he had been in contact with chair David Koch and CEO Matthew Richardson and the club had resolved "we won't be making comment on this matter".
