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The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday issued a statement on the recent ceasefire reached between US and Iran. The MEA said that it hoped the agreement would lead to lasting peace in West Asia.
The MEA said, "We welcome the ceasefire reached and hope that it will lead to a lasting peace in West Asia. As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict. The conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks. We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz." Earlier, US President Donald Trump suspended the "bombing and attack" campaign on Iran, announcing a two-week double-sided ceasefire and saying that the 10-point proposal from Iran was workable. In a post on Truth Social, Trump, said that ten-point proposal will serve as ground to negotiate for a permanent deal, while reiterating that US has achieved most of its military objectives. "Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE!" Trump said. "The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Long-term PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. We received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate," he added. Trump said that Iran had agreed to almost all the various points of past contention, and this extension will allow time for a permanent agreement to be finalised. The Iranian side accepted US President Donald Trump's peace overture and agreed to safe passage via the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks as well as a pause in military operations. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted the Islamic Republic's response on X and said Iran would cease its military operations if it was not attacked. "Considering the request by the U.S. for negotiations based on its 15-point proposal as well as announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran's 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of Iran's Supreme National Security Council: If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations," Araghchi wrote. Talks between the Iranian side led by Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and the US delegation led by Vice-President JD Vance are set for Friday in Islamabad. (ANI)
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