Iranian and Israeli leaders pledged to respect Monday’s U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday, signaling the possibility of a sustainable peace in the region.
Iranian state media reported Tuesday that President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would respect the terms of the ceasefire if Israel does the same.
“If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” Mr. Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian president added that his nation is open to negotiations with foreign leaders to ensure that the interests of the Islamic Republic are respected. He reportedly had a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday in which Mr. Pezeshkian said Iran was prepared to settle its issues with the U.S.
The status of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations is still unclear. The two sides were slated to meet for a sixth round of talks earlier this month, but the meeting was canceled following Israel’s strikes on Iran’s enrichment facilities. Due to the intensity of Israel’s offensive, Tehran could be forced to grant significant concessions if the nuclear talks continue.
Israeli Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran would not return to the bargaining table until U.S. “aggression” ceases.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would refrain from launching further strikes on Iran following a phone call with President Trump on Tuesday.
“In the call, President Trump expressed his deep appreciation for Israel, saying it had achieved all the objectives of the war. He also expressed confidence in the stability of the ceasefire,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement.
Mr. Trump abruptly announced a ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel on Monday after nearly two weeks of fighting.
The president was reportedly frustrated with the Israeli PM on Tuesday after learning that Mr. Netanyahu ordered further strikes on Iran. Israel’s Defense Ministry alleged that Iran had violated the Monday ceasefire by firing rockets that day, killing at least four. The strike reportedly destroyed a residential building in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva.
Iranian leadership asserted that the rocket attack was launched before the ceasefire was finalized.
Israel answered with a strike that destroyed a “radar installation near Tehran,” according to a statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office. Iranian media have reported explosions in Tehran and Babolsar; the extent of the damage is not yet publicly known.
Israeli Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Tuesday that his country’s campaign against Iran was not finished but that Israel would not shift its focus back to Gaza, where the Israel Defense Forces are still working to bring back hostages and destroy Hamas.
Despite the tenuous peace between the two nations, Iran claimed victory on Tuesday. Its vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, said the ceasefire was proof of Iran’s power in the region.
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi even implied that Israel’s assault and America’s bombing over the weekend didn’t cripple the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
“Considering the capacities and abilities that we possess, the nuclear industry must persist, and it will not be stopped,” he said in a statement.
Israel launched what it called a preemptive strike on Iran on June 13, calling Iran’s nuclear program an existential threat to Israel’s security. Iran responded with its own coordinated strikes on Israeli military facilities, with both sides trading rockets and drones for over a week.
The U.S. entered the conflict on Israel’s side Saturday night Eastern time and Sunday Mideast time after Mr. Trump ordered B-2 bombers to drop bunker-buster bombs on three of Iran’s enrichment facilities. Iran responded with a telegraphed strike on a U.S. military base in Qatar, which was solidly rebuffed.
Israel says over two dozen people have been killed as a result of Iran’s strikes, while Iran says Israeli bombing has killed over 600 people.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.