A fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel appeared to hold Tuesday after initially faltering, and US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with both sides, saying they had fought “for so long and so hard” that they do not know what they are doing.
But even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Israel had brought Iran’s nuclear program “to ruin,” a new US intelligence report found that the program has been set back only a few months after US strikes over the weekend, according to two people familiar with the assessment, reports AP.
After the truce was supposed to take effect, Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace, and the Israeli finance minister vowed that “Tehran will tremble.”
The Iranian military denied firing on Israel, state media reported, but explosions boomed and sirens sounded across northern Israel in the morning, and an Israeli military official said two Iranian missiles were intercepted.
Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for a NATO summit that, in his view, both sides had violated the nascent agreement. He had particularly strong words for Israel, a close ally, while suggesting Iran may have fired on the country by mistake. But later he said the deal was saved.
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly “Plane Wave” to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” Trump said in his Truth Social post.
Netanyahu’s office said he held off on tougher strikes against Iran after speaking to Trump.
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council on Tuesday the Islamic Republic emerged “proud and steadfast” from the aggression by Israel and the United States. “This proves one simple truth more clearly than ever: diplomacy and dialogue are the only path to resolving the unnecessary crisis over Iran’s peaceful program,” he said.
If the truce holds, it will provide a global sense of relief after the US intervened by dropping bunker-buster bombs on nuclear sites — a move that risked further destabilizing the volatile region.
After Tehran launched a limited retaliatory strike Monday on a US military base in Qatar, Trump announced the ceasefire.
A protracted conflict could have a broad economic impact if Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping channel.
In a televised statement, Netanyahu said late Tuesday that Israel took out top generals and nuclear scientists and destroyed nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and the Arak heavy water reactor. He thanked Trump for his help.
It is unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s leader, played in the talks.
In Israel, at least 28 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists.