Latest news with #peaceAgreement
Fast Company
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Fast Company
Trump's Iran-Israel ceasefire is holding. Why hopes for lasting peace are uncertain
The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding on Wednesday after a rocky start, giving rise to cautious hope that it could lead to a long-term peace agreement even as Tehran insists it will not give up its nuclear program. The ceasefire took hold on Tuesday, the 12th day of the war between Israel and Iran, with each side initially accusing the other of violating it until the missiles, drones and bombs finally stopped. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire, told reporters at a NATO summit in the Netherlands that it was going 'very well.' 'They're not going to have a bomb and they're not going to enrich,' Trump said about Iran. Iran has insisted, however, that it will not give up its nuclear program and in a vote underscoring the tough path ahead, Iranian parliament agreed to fast-track a proposal that would effectively stop the country's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. watchdog that has been monitoring the Iranian nuclear program for years. Ahead of the vote, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticized the IAEA for having 'refused to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities' that were carried out by the United States on Sunday. 'For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until security of nuclear facilities is ensured, and Iran's peaceful nuclear program will move forward at a faster pace,' Qalibaf told lawmakers. In Vienna, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he had already written to Iran to discuss resuming inspections of their nuclear facilities. Among other things, Iran claims to have moved its highly enriched uranium ahead of the American strikes and Grossi said his inspectors needed to re-assess the country's stockpiles. 'We need to return,' he said. 'We need to engage.' Questions over effectiveness of the US strikes The American strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump said had 'completely and fully obliterated' the country's nuclear program. From Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, confirmed Sunday's strikes by American B-2 bombers using bunker-buster bombs had caused significant damage. 'Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure,' he told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, while refusing to go into detail. He seemed to suggest Iran might not shut out IAEA inspectors for good, however, noting the bill before parliament only talks of suspending work with the agency, not ending it. But he also insisted Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy program. 'Iran is determined to preserve that right under any circumstances,' he said. Trump's special envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff, said on Fox News late on Tuesday that Israel and the U.S. had now achieved their objective of 'the total destruction of the enrichment capacity' in Iran, and Iran's prerequisite for talks — that Israel end its campaign — had also been fulfilled. 'The proof is in the pudding,' he said. 'No one's shooting at each other. It's over.' At the NATO summit, when asked about a U.S. intelligence report that found Iran's nuclear program has been set back only a few months, Trump scoffed and said it would at least take 'years' to rebuild. Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Wednesday his country's assessment was also that Iran's nuclear facilities had been 'significantly damaged' and its nuclear program 'set it back by years.' Grossi said he could not speculate on how bad the damage was but that Iran's nuclear capabilities were well known. 'The technical knowledge is there, and the industrial capacity is there,' he said. 'That no one can deny, so we need to work together with them.' Hopes for a long-term agreement An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the ceasefire agreement with Iran amounted to 'quiet for quiet,' with no further understandings about Iran's nuclear program going ahead. In the Fox News interview, Witkoff said Trump is now looking to land 'a comprehensive peace agreement that goes beyond even the ceasefire.' 'We're already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors,' Witkoff said, adding that the conversations were promising and 'we're hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement.' However, Baghaei, the Iranian spokesman, said Washington had 'torpedoed diplomacy' with its attacks on Iran's nuclear sites, and that while Iran in principle was always open to talks, the country's national security was the priority. 'We have to make sure whether the other parties are really serious when they're talking about diplomacy, or is it again part of their tactics to make more problems for the region and for my country,' he said. China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and close Iranian partner, also weighed in on Wednesday, saying it hoped a 'lasting and effective ceasefire can be achieved so as to promote' peace and stability in the region. China is a major buyer of Iranian oil and has long supported its government politically, blaming Israel for starting the latest conflict and destabilizing the region. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing that in the wake of the conflict, China is willing to 'inject positive factors to safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East.' Grossi said Iran and the international community should seize the opportunity of the ceasefire for a long term diplomatic solution. 'Out of the … bad things that military conflict brings, there's also now a possibility, an opening,' he said. 'We shouldn't miss that opportunity.' Iran executes 3 more prisoners on spying allegations During the war with Israel, Iran executed several prisoners accused of spying for Israel, sparking fears from activists that it could conduct a wave of executions after the conflict ends. It hanged three more prisoners on spying charges on Wednesday, bringing the total number of executions for espionage up to six since June 16. The hangings took place at Urmia Prison in West Azerbaijan, Iran's most northwestern province. State-run IRNA cited Iran's judiciary for the news, saying the men had been accused of bringing 'assassination equipment' into the country. Iran identified the three as Azad Shojaei, Edris Aali and Iraqi national Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul. Amnesty International had previously raised concerns that the men could be executed. During the 12-day war, at least 28 people were killed in Israel and more than 1,000 wounded, according to officials. Tehran on Tuesday put the death toll in Iran at 606, with 5,332 people wounded. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group released figures Wednesday suggesting Israeli strikes on Iran had killed at least 1,054 people and wounded 4,476. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, said 417 of those killed were civilians and 318 were security force personnel. During the war, Israeli airstrikes also targeted Iran's top military leadership and other sites associated with its ruling theocracy. With the ceasefire in place, Iranians are trying to return to their normal lives. State media described heavy traffic around the Caspian Sea and other rural areas outside of the capital, Tehran, as people began returning to the city.
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Sorry, Donald Trump, But Ukraine Is Your War
The crucial test of President Donald Trump's Ukraine policy was always going to come when he realized that something he thought was easy — brokering a peace agreement — turned out to be very hard. He would then face a choice between doing the difficult, dangerous work of seeking a sustainable settlement, or simply disengaging and letting the war take its awful course. Trump's moment has arrived, and he seems to be picking flight over fight. The irony is that Ukraine won't soon be done with a president who wants nothing more than to be done with Ukraine.
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Putin describes 2-hour Trump call as ‘very useful'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed his phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump as 'very useful.' The two leaders spoke for over two hours on Monday, primarily about the Ukraine conflict. Speaking to reporters shortly after the call, Putin thanked the US president for supporting the resumption of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev on a potential peace agreement. He said Trump had outlined his position on ending hostilities and the possibility of a ceasefire during the conversation. 'For our part, I also emphasized that Russia supports a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict,' Putin said, adding 'We must simply identify the most effective path toward peace.' Moscow is ready to work with Kiev on a memorandum that envisions a future peace agreement between the two countries, Putin has said. 'We've agreed with the US president that Russia will propose and be ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a potential future peace agreement, defining such positions as the principles of the settlement and the timeframe for a potential conclusion of the peace agreement, including [the announcement of] a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time,' the president stated. The recent resumption of direct talks with Kiev shows that the situation is generally steering 'in the right direction,' Putin has said. 'The issue is, of course, that both Moscow and Kiev should demonstrate maximum desire for peace and find compromises that would satisfy all parties,' he added. Last week in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian representatives held their first direct talks since 2022, when Kiev backed out of a proposed peace deal that had been agreed in principle by both sides. The latest round of negotiations has led to a proposal for the largest prisoner exchange between the two countries and a pledge to continue dialogue. Putin reiterated that Russia's position is to negotiate a long-term resolution of the conflict that addresses the 'root causes.'
