Iran, Israel say they have halted strikes on each other
Iran and Israel announced that they stopped attacks against each other after US President Donald Trump called for them to “stop firing immediately”.
The wave of attacks in the past 24 hours marked the most direct conflict between Iran and Israel since a ceasefire in April and threatened to undermine U.S. efforts to reach a deal with Iran to end their more than three-month-old war.
Oil prices pared their gains after the Iranian military announced that the first wave of attacks against Israel was over.
The US dollar fell from its highest level in nearly two months.
A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that Israel also decided to stop its attacks on Iran.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the ultimate goal of peace talks between Iran and the United States was “about to be achieved” and asked all parties in the conflict to exercise restraint.
Israel struck Iranian targets after Iranian forces fired missiles into Israeli territory late Sunday.
Iran said its attacks were in retaliation for Israeli attacks on Iranian-backed Hezbollah strongholds on the outskirts of Beirut.
Israel struck a petrochemical facility in southwestern Iran that it said was used to produce ballistic missiles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it retaliated with an attack targeting a similar Israeli facility in the city of Haifa.
Iran’s military headquarters said it had issued a “painful response” to Israel for its attacks on Lebanon, including attacks on the outskirts of Beirut on Sunday.
“Accordingly, it has been declared that the operations of the armed forces have been stopped; however, it is emphasized that if the attacks and acts of mischief continue, including in Southern Lebanon, there will be much more violent and crushing actions than before.”
The exchange complicated Trump’s effort to end the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 and underlined how easily the conflict could escalate into a broader regional conflict.
The ceasefire declared on April 8 paused all-out war, but flare-ups in the Gulf continued.
Trump said in one of several posts on social media that both Israel and Iran “want an immediate ceasefire.” “Final negotiations on ‘peace’ are ongoing, in case ignorance or stupidity gets in the way.”
He added that the US blockade of Iranian ports will continue until a final agreement is reached.
An Israeli official said Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
Earlier, an Israeli military official said Israel was ready to continue operations “as long as it takes” and confirmed that in addition to the petrochemical target, Iran’s newly built air defense systems would also be attacked.
Iranian officials struck a similarly defiant tone.
Iran is ready for a protracted conflict and may renew attacks against US interests in the region, a military source was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was exchanging messages with the US in an atmosphere of “extreme suspicion”.
He added that Israel’s actions in Lebanon are aimed at sabotaging diplomacy, whether or not they are carried out with the permission and approval of the United States.
