Netanyahu accepts ceasefire, says Israel has achieved its goal
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More news: Shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted a ceasefire agreement with Iran that had been announced by US President Trump earlier on Tuesday, the country warned of new missile fire from Iran and vowed to respond.
The FT reports that Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said: “I have instructed the Israel Defence Forces to respond forcefully to Iran’s violation of the ceasefire with powerful strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran.”
Iranian state television denied that the country had violated the ceasefire, having earlier said that the ceasefire was "imposed" and that Trump had called for a halt in hostilities "in a begging manner."
Bloomberg reports that Iran has yet to confirm publicly that it agreed to the ceasefire.
Netanyahu accepts ceasefire, says Israel has achieved its goal
More news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted a ceasefire, according to reports.
News outlets reported that Netanyahu said Israel had achieved its war goals against Iran, including removing the nuclear and ballistic missile threat. Netanyahu is expected to deliver an address later on Tuesday.
Iran's Foreign Minister denies permanent ceasefire agreement
More news: Iran has denied a deal has been struck to end its war with Israel, despite US President Donald Trump declaring a “complete and total ceasefire” between the pair.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi took to social media to reject reports, which were welcomed by Australia, that the war was over – saying a “final decision on the cessation of our military operations” would be made later.
However, Araghchi did confirm Iran had “no intention” of continuing its response to Israel’s attacks if they ceased by 11am, Australian Eastern Standard Time.
Iran has had a muted response to US attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Trump framed as a victory for Washington. No US personnel were harmed by Iran’s strikes on a US base in Qatar, which Tehran flagged with Washington ahead of time.
While Iran attacking US military bases could be viewed as escalatory, many analysts believe its decision to warn Washington ahead of time was an attempt to manage the fallout.
What they said: “As of now, there is NO "agreement" on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,” Araghchi wrote on X.
“Our brave Armed Forces … remain ready to defend our dear country until their last drop of blood.”
Albanese welcomes Trump's Israel-Iran ceasefire announcement
The news: Australia has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an imminent ceasefire between Iran and Israel, after Tehran’s muted response to attacks on its nuclear facilities.
The context: On Tuesday morning, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce a “complete and total” ceasefire had been struck between Israel and Iran.
It came just hours after Iran struck a US military base in Qatar, following a series of attacks launched in its territory by Israel and the US – including the bombing of its nuclear facilities.
But Trump revealed Tehran had flagged the strikes ahead of time, describing them as a “very weak response” and hoping Iran had “gotten it all out of their system”.
Neither Iran nor Israel have publicly confirmed the agreement, though Tehran’s response appeared designed to de-escalate the conflict.
Albanese welcomed the ceasefire announcement on Tuesday morning.
“We have consistently called for dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation. The safety of Australians in the region is our priority,” he said in a statement.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East and are deeply concerned about keeping Australians safe.”
The announcement came as Israel confirmed it had carried out its most extensive strikes on Tehran yet, hitting a prison where the regime detains political opponents.
Trump said the ceasefire ended what would be known as the “12 Day War”, which began when Israel struck a series of targets in Iran – including the top military men and nuclear scientists.
What they said: “This war could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t and never will!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The sources: Donald Trump Truth Social, Anthony Albanese media statement, Seyed Abbas Araghchi X post, AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
