US-Israel suffered ‘crushing defeat’ in Iran, Russia says

Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority said the reopening of airspace and all airports, effective immediately.

The authority added, “It has been decided to reopen Iraqi airspace to air traffic starting today, following the stabilisation of the situation and the return to normalcy,” reports Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the United States and Israel launched “a one-track aggressive unprovoked attack” on Iran on 28 February, which resulted in a “crushing defeat”.

She told Sputnik radio, “Our country, from the very beginning, in its first statements, said that it was necessary to immediately stop this aggression, that there was no military solution to this situation or any attempt to establish order in the region.”

Zakharova added that it was necessary to immediately begin “a real political and diplomatic settlement, which, of course, is based on the negotiation process with a real consideration of positions.”

Israeli military said it has ceased fire in its campaign against Iran, following directives from the political echelon, after the US confirmed a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

However, the army added that in Lebanon, its forces are continuing “combat and ground operations” against Hezbollah, reports Al Jazeera.

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has reacted to the ceasefire, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “failed politically”.

He wrote on X, “There has never been such a political disaster in all of our history. Israel wasn’t even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security.”

“The military carried out everything that was asked of it, the public demonstrated amazing resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn’t meet a single one of the goals that he himself set,” Lapid added.

The death toll in Lebanon from more than a month of fighting between Israel and the Iran‑backed militant group Hezbollah has risen to 1,530, the health ministry said Tuesday, reports AFP.

Israel on Wednesday said that while it supports US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, the truce does not apply to its ongoing war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump told AFP that the United States had achieved a “total and complete victory” after reaching a two‑week ceasefire deal with Iran.

“Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it,” Trump said in a brief telephone interview shortly after the announcement of the truce.

Countries like Israel, Iraq, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ukraine, and China have welcomed a two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, urging all sides to fully honour the deal and work towards a lasting peace in the Middle East.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the US-Iran two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, his spokesperson said, while urging all parties to work toward long-term peace in the Middle East.

Iraq’s powerful armed group Kataeb Hezbollah on Tuesday freed US journalist Shelly Kittleson, a week after she was abducted in Baghdad, according to the Iran-backed group and US officials, reports Al Jazeera.

Oil prices dropped sharply, bonds gained, and stocks rallied after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire involving Iran, fueling a relief surge across global markets. Investors welcomed the prospect of resumed oil and gas shipments through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement read on state‑run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), “This is not the end of the war, but all military branches should follow the Supreme Leader’s order and cease their fire.”

US President Donald Trump backed away from his threats of devastating strikes on Iran early Wednesday, opting to deescalate less than two hours before the deadline he had set for Tehran to surrender or face a major escalation.