Hegseth hails 'big day for world peace' despite cracks in ceasefire deal
A late-hour social media post from Donald Trump confirmed the ceasefire had been agreed, ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says Operation Epic Fury was a 'historic victory'
US and Iran agree to conditional two-week ceasefire with the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iran proposes 10-point peace plan and negotiations begin Friday
Israel supports ceasefire, but strikes central Beirut after saying Iran ceasefire doesn't apply there
Oil prices fall to under $100 a barrel since announcement
Strikes continue to be reported across the region, despite the ceasefire announcement
Starmer travels to the Middle East to "support and sustain" the ceasefire
White House demands Iran reopen Strait of Hormuz immediately after Iran says it closed waterway
The US Secretary of Defence has hailed the ceasefire with Iran as a "big day for world peace," as the Strait of Hormuz reopened to commerce, despite reports of strikes across the region and Israel's determination to continue its campaign in Lebanon.
Pete Hegseth said at a press conference on Wednesday: "President Trump forged this moment", adding that "Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield".
Overnight, US President Donald Trump announced he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran, which would see a pause in military strikes against Iran and a reopening of the vital strait.
"Had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges and oil and energy infrastructure targets they could not defend," Hegseth said on Wedneday.
"President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes, but he chose mercy."
The ceasefire has been broadly welcomed from across the world, with many nations pledging to help make a lasting peace.
However, despite agreeing to the ceasefire, Israel said it does not apply to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hours later, Israeli strikes hit several dense commercial and residential areas in central Beirut.
Other nations, including Pakistan, which helped negotiate, have claimed the deal does include Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have urged the Strait of Hormuz, the pivotal waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported, to be reopened immediately without restriction and on Wednesday, several commercial vessels travelled through it.
However, later on Wednesday Iran closed the strait in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to Iranian state media.
That prompted a demand from the White House to reopen it.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to support the implementation of the ceasefire.
He will also visit British military personnel in the region to thank them for their service.
"I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world," he wrote on X. "Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz".
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also welcomed the ceasefire, describing it as "a vital step towards establishing some security and stability in the region".
"It is vital that the proposed talks lead to a full end to the conflict and ensure that Iran does not continue to threaten the Strait or its neighbours. I also call for an urgent end to hostilities in Lebanon," she said.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has said it has accepted a two-week ceasefire and said it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.The White House said Vice President JD Vance would lead the US negotiating team those talks.
Although Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be allowed for the next two weeks, that decision was paused due to ongoing Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the strait, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.
This proved to be another area of confusion, with the White House announcing that Trump is opposed to tolls for ships passing through the strait.
In addition to control of the strait, Iran’s demands for ending the war include withdrawal of US combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.
Attacks resume after ceasefire announcement
Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early on Wednesday.
Missile alerts were issued in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait after the ceasefire announcement.
A gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi was ablaze after incoming Iranian fire, officials said. And, in Kuwait officials claimed three of their water desalination and power plants were damaged by strikes after the ceasefire was announced.Iranian state television reported that an oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island was hit. The report said that firefighters were working to contain the blaze but no one had been hurt. It did not say who launched the attack.
However, in anticipation of the end of strikes, Iraq and Syria reopened their airspace to civilian planes after the whole of the Middle East saw heavy disruption to air travel caused by the war.
The complete end to Iran's nuclear policy has been a key demand of the US and Israel.
Israel sends mixed signals over ceasefire
The Israeli government has insisted the ceasefire does not involve its ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Within hours of the ceaseifre, Israel’s military hit several targets in central Beirut on Wednesday, calling it the "largest coordinated strike" in the current war.
They said they had struck over 100 Hezbollah sites.
Despite Israel's stance, Pakistan, which is a key mediator, insisted the ceasefire does include the fighting in Lebanon.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also said the ceasefire "fully includes Lebanon," while Egypt also called on Israel to stop attacking Lebanon.
Hezbollah has yet to comment on the ceasefire.
The ceasefire has been criticised within Israel, with opposition politicians attacking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for letting it happen.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid: “There has never been such a political disaster in our entire history. Israel was not even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security."
More than 1,500 have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the war, and one million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died.
World welcomes news of ceasefire
Nations from across the globe, including in Europe, the UK, the Gulf region and China, have welcomed the news of the ceasefire, with many pledging to help make it work.
Starmer, who will be meeting with Gulf leaders on Wednesday, said: "I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world."
The leaders of France, Spain and Finland and top European Union leaders all issued statements welcoming the two-week pause in fighting but urging swift negotiations to bring the war to a permanent end.
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Macron described the planned pause in fighting between Iran, the United States and Iran as “a very good thing” and said he hopes it “will be fully respected in the whole region and permit negotiations to be held.”
The Turkish and Austrian foreign ministries issued statements welcoming the deal and calling for further negotiations. Austria also offered to host talks.
China also welcomed the ceasefire, saying it would play a "constructive role" toward peace.
Oman Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi said his country, which has long mediated between Iran and the US, will provide support to negotiations following the two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran.
“For now the world has stepped back from disaster,” he wrote on X. “But there’s no room for complacency.”
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said he hopes the two-week agreement is a “first step” toward final and comprehensive agreements for regional crises.
He called on Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory and for Hezbollah and other non-state groups to disarm.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Riyadh supports efforts to achieve a permanent deal that addresses “all issues that have resulted in instability and insecurity over the past decades.”
The statement called for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open according to U.N. agreements governing international waterways “without any restrictions.”
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