A fragile ceasefire between Iran, Israel gives rise to hopes for longer peace
DUBAI, June 25:
The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding Wednesday after a rocky start, giving rise to cautious hope it could lead to a longer term peace agreement, even as Tehran insisted it would not give up its nuclear programme.
The ceasefire took hold Tuesday on 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, US 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 added.
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 United Nations organisation that has been monitoring the Iranian nuclear program for years.
Ahead of the vote, parliamentary 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 US on Sunday.
“For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organisation 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.
Questions over effectiveness of American strikes
The American strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump said had “completely and fully obliterated” the country’s nuclear program.
Trump’s special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff said on Fox News late Tuesday that Israel and the US 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 US 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 programme “set it back by years.”
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.
Hopes for a longer term agreement
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.”
China, a permanent member of the UN 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 the realization of peace and stability in the Middle East.”
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.”
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 ended.
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 happened in Urmia Prison in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province, which is the country’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 men 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.
In Iran, the government on Tuesday put the death toll at 606 people killed, with 5,332 others 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 others.
The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, said of those killed, it identified 417 civilians and 318 security force personnel.
Tehran experienced intense Israeli airstrikes throughout the war, including those that targeted Iran’s top military leadership and other sites associated with its ruling theocracy.
With the ceasefire in place, Iranians began trying to return to their normal lives.
State media described heavy traffic around the Caspian Sea area and other rural areas outside of the capital, Tehran, as people began returning to the city. (AP)
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