UNITED NATIONS, Jun 24 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday welcomed the ceasefire between Iran and Israel which was announced on social media overnight by US President Donald Trump.
Before both sides had confirmed that a ceasefire was in place early Tuesday both sides exchanged fire, with Tehran residents saying they had experienced a heavy barrage of attacks.
Before leaving Washington for a NATO summit in Europe, President Trump expressed his frustration at the breaches of the fragile ceasefire agreement, urging Iran and Israel to observe the truce.
In a social media post, the UN chief urged both countries to fully respect the ceasefire.
“The fighting must stop. The people of the two countries have already suffered too much,” he said, adding it was his “sincere hope” that the ceasefire can extend to other parts of the region. (Responding to a question at the regular noon briefing Tuesday, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said this included the urgent need for a ceasefire in the Israeli war in Gaza.
Earlier, the head of the UN-backed nuclear watchdog urged Tehran to consider “resuming cooperation” with the international community to quell any lingering hostility around its nuclear programme.“Resuming cooperation with [the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] is key to a successful agreement,” said Director General Rafael Grossi.
In a short online post on X, Grossi added that he had offered to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on working together, “stressing this step can lead to a diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy” over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Overnight, President Trump announced that Israel and Iran have agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” and end the war, which, he noted, could have destroyed the entire Middle East.
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!” Trump said.
His statement on the Truth Social platform came hours after Iran launched a missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar. Trump, earlier, said no American was injured in the attack, which Iran carried out in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on Tehran’s three nuclear sites.
The war began when Israel attacked Iran with the purpose to stop it from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. Tehran also launched several hundred missiles in retaliation to Israeli actions.
Officially, Trump said, Iran will start the ceasefire and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the ceasefire and, upon the 24th Hour, an official end to the 12-day war will be marked.
The U.S. president said during each ceasefire, the other side will remain peaceful and respectful.
“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR.”
“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”