Bahrain welcomes US ceasefire announcement with Iran

Former US ambassador Nikki Haley on Wednesday cautioned against viewing the ceasefire with Iran as a setback for Tehran, adding instead that it aligns with what she described as Iran’s long-standing strategy of delay.

“Don’t mistake this ceasefire as a loss for Iran. Their strategy has always been delay, delay, delay. In their view, they are winning,” Haley said to Fox News.

"Washington’s next steps would be critical, and it should contain for sustained pressure on Iran’s missile program and regional proxies, as well as the removal of all enriched uranium," she added.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for Lebanon to be included within the scope of the ceasefire, adding that the truce must apply across all areas of confrontation to be credible.

Macron said he conveyed to Massoud Pezeshkian and Donald Trump that their decision to accept a ceasefire was the best possible course, while urging all sides to fully respect it.

"I expressed my hope that the ceasefire will be fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all theaters of confrontation, including in Lebanon. This is a necessary condition for the ceasefire to be credible and sustainable," Macron posted on X.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that Iranians are promising to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance added that he wants to be involved in negotiations with Iran because he thinks he can help.

The attack on Lavan Island was carried out by Mirage fighter jets used by the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency reported.

Earlier, Axios reported, citing a US defense official, that the strike on the Iranian refinery in Lavan was not conducted by the United States or Israel.

Qatar’s foreign minister spoke by phone with his Saudi counterpart to discuss regional developments following the announcement of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

Doha welcomed the truce and stressed “the necessity of building on it urgently to prevent the expansion of the scope of tension in the region,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a post on X.

The ministry said the Qatari minister also emphasized the importance of “ensuring the security of maritime passages and the freedom of navigation” in order to preserve regional stability and global supply chains.