A fragile iran israel ceasefire gives rise to hopes for a long term peace

A fragile iran israel ceasefire gives rise to hopes for a long term peace

At the NATO summit, U.S. President said the ceasefire was going ‘very well’; Iran vows not to give up its nuclear programme; U.S. hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump said “completely obliterated” its nuclear programme; Witkoff says U.S. and Israel achieved their objectives in the strike.

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 programme.

The ceasefire took hold on Tuesday, the 12th day of the war, with each side 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 presspersons at a NATO summit in the Netherlands that it was going “very well.”

“They are not going to have a bomb and they’re not going to enrich,” Mr. Trump said of Iran.

Iran has insisted, however, that it will not give up its nuclear programme.

In a vote underscoring the tough path ahead, its parliament agreed to fast-track a proposal that would effectively stop the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN watchdog that has been monitoring the programme for years.

Ahead of the vote, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticised the IAEA for having “refused to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities” that the United States carried out 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 programme will move forward at a faster pace,” Mr. Qalibaf told lawmakers.

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 U.S. strikes, and Mr. Grossi said his inspectors need to re-assess the country’s stockpiles. “We need to return,” he said. “We need to engage.”

The U.S. strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Mr. Trump said “completely and fully obliterated” the country’s nuclear programme.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, confirmed that the strikes by U.S. 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.

He seemed to suggest Iran might not shut out IAEA inspectors for good, noting that the Bill before Parliament only talks of suspending work with the agency, not ending it. He also insisted Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy programme.

‘Quiet to quiet’

Mr. Trump’s special envoy to West Asia, Steve Witkoff, said on Fox News late on Tuesday that Israel and the U.S. had 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 been fulfilled.

“The proof is in the pudding,” he said.

At the NATO summit, when asked about a U.S. intelligence report that found Iran’s nuclear programme has been set back only a few months, Mr. Trump scoffed and said it would at least take “years” to rebuild.

Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said his country’s assessment was that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “significantly damaged” and its nuclear programme “set it back by years.”

Mr. 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.”

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the ceasefire agreement with Iran amounted to “quiet for quiet,” with no further understandings about Iran’s nuclear programme going ahead.

In the Fox News interview, Mr. Witkoff said Mr. Trump is now looking to land “a comprehensive peace agreement that goes beyond even the ceasefire.” “We are already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors,” Mr. Witkoff said, adding that the conversations were promising and “we are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement.”

However, Mr. Baghaei, the Iranian spokesman, said Washington had “torpedoed diplomacy” with its attacks on nuclear sites, and that while Iran in principle was always open to talks, national security was the priority. “We have to make sure whether the other parties are really serious when they are talking about diplomacy, or is it again part of their tactics to make more problems for my country,” he said.

China’s hope

China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and close Iranian partner, also weighed in, 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 destabilising the region.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told presspersons that China is willing to “inject positive factors to safeguard peace and stability in West Asia.”

With the ceasefire in place, Iranians are trying to return to their normal lives.