World hails Trump-Tehran ceasefire, but some attacks continue

US President Donald Trump

 Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

The US and Iran have announced a suspension of all attacks for two weeks, and Tehran has agreed to allow safe transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has claimed victory and says upcoming talks in Pakistan’s Islamabad tomorrow do not mean that the end of the war is guaranteed.

However, Israel’s Army said its forces “a short while ago” have carried out the largest coordinated strike across Lebanon since it started a new military operation in the country on 2 March.

“Within 10 minutes and across multiple areas simultaneously, the [Israeli Army] completed the largest coordinated strike, targeting more than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites,” the statement claims, adding that the targeted areas included Beirut, Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.

“Most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within the heart of the civilian population,” it said, claiming that “steps were taken to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it “listened to the orders of” Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, but their finger remains “on the trigger.”

“The enemy has always been deceitful, and we have no trust in his promises, and we will respond to every aggression with a higher level,” the elite force said, referring to the US and Israel.

Separately, Pope Leo XIV hailed the ceasefire between the US and Iran as a “sign of real hope.”

“I welcome with satisfaction, and as a sign of real hope, the announcement of an immediate two-week truce. Only by returning to negotiations can we reach the end of the war,” the Catholic leader said at the end of his weekly audience at the Vatican.

Several European leaders, as well as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, have called on the US and Iran to quickly reach a diplomatic solution to their conflict.

“We strongly encourage quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement,” they said in a joint statement yesterday.

The leaders also called upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt, and Qatar for supporting the ceasefire process.

In a post on ‘X,’ he said these countries extended “invaluable and all out support towards reaching the ceasefire” and gave “peaceful diplomatic efforts a chance to seek a comprehensive and conclusive end to the conflict.”

Sharif also thanked the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and said their “consistent support and commitment to peace and stability in the region remains quintessential” to Pakistan’s efforts in the ceasefire process.

“The leadership of all our brotherly countries” and the US “demonstrated exceptional strategic foresight, sagacity, and patience in giving peace a chance”, he added.

A senior Iranian official has told the Reuters news agency that Tehran could open the Strait of Hormuz today (9) or tomorrow ahead of the country’s meeting with the US in Pakistan, if a ceasefire framework is reached.

Iran’s paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz throughout the war has upended global oil and gas markets.

As a part of its ceasefire deal with the US, Tehran has agreed to allow the safe transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

The official told Reuters that the reopening of the Strait would take place in coordination with the Iranian military.