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The ceasefire announcement between Israel and Iran has been described as "good news" by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, who noted that this was the moment that all parties related to the matter "return to the negotiating table".
In a series of posts on X on Tuesday, the EU Foreign Policy Chief urged all sides who were involved in the conflict in the region to refrain from further violence and avoid escalation. "The announced reprieve in fighting between Israel and Iran is good news but remains fragile. All sides should stand by this and refrain from further violence. All further escalation must be avoided," Kallas stated, highlighting the precarious nature of the ceasefire. "The EU stands in solidarity with all those affected, including Qatar last night. This is the moment to return to the negotiating table. Let this be a turning point for the whole region. I will continue to work towards this end with all sides," she added. This came after US President Trump, on early Tuesday, announced a ceasefire agreement between the two conflict-gripped nations following Iran's attack on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq in response to the US strikes on its nuclear facilities. However, moments after the announcement, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a limited strike on an Iranian radar installation north of Tehran, following which Iran launched two ballistic missiles at Israel, as reported by The Times of Israel. Trump expressed his strong disapproval of Israel and Iran "violating the ceasefire", he announced, and said that the two countries have been fighting "so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing." Shortly after, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office in a statement noted that after a conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has "refrained" from further attacks on Iran. This came following a series of escalating military actions in the region when Israel initially conducted coordinated strikes against Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13. Following this, Iran retaliated with strikes on Israeli military infrastructure, and the US joined the conflict with precision strikes on Iran's three key nuclear facilities - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. (ANI)
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