Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, says the U.S. and Iran are engaged in both direct talks and through intermediaries about getting back to the table after Israeli and U.S. strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“The conversations are promising. We’re hopeful,” he said in an interview with Fox News.

“Now it’s time to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace deal.”

Witkoff did not provide details but said the weekend U.S. airstrikes achieved their objectives: eliminating Iran’s ability to convert any weapons-grade uranium it might have had or produce in the future into an actual weapon; and setting back Iran’s ability to enrich uranium to that point by years.

France’s U.N. ambassador called on Iran to resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency agency and allow access for U.N. nuclear inspectors as soon as possible to its nuclear facilities to determine that its uranium stocks have not been moved.

Jerome Bonnafont also called on Tehran to return to negotiations on “a robust, verifiable and lasting diplomatic solution” that responds to international concerns that it is pursuing nuclear weapons.

He spoke at a Security Council meeting on its resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers to rein in its nuclear program that imposed wide-ranging sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The last sanctions, on Iran’s nuclear activities and transfers, expire on Oct. 18.

Bonnafont said France and its European partners Britain and Germany, who are still part of the nuclear deal – President Trump pulled the U.S. out in 2018 – are ready to use the 2015 resolution’s provision to “snapback” U.N. sanctions “if such an agreement were not to be found by the summer.”

He said an agreement with Iran needs to take account the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, regional stability and European security interests.

A new U.S. intelligence report found that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months after a U.S. strike, and was not “completely and fully obliterated” as President Trump has said, according to two people familiar with the early assessment.

The early intelligence report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday contradicts statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The people were not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to the people, the report found that while the Saturday strikes at the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites did significant damage, they were not totally destroyed.

The White House strongly pushed back on the assessment, calling it “flat-out wrong.”

“The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

The CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the DIA assessment.

The acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations pointed to Iran’s accelerated nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment to 60%, in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with six key powers which was endorsed by the Security Council. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal known as the JCPOA in 2018.

Dorothy Shea told a Security Council meeting on compliance with the 2015 agreement that Iran also violated U.N. resolutions by providing weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, and by transferring hundreds of drones to Russia in 2022 to use in attacks against Ukraine.

“Iran’s failure to uphold its nonproliferation obligations has prolonged conflicts and perpetuated instability across the Middle East and beyond for many years,” she said.

Shea warned that “The United States will not turn a blind eye to Iran’s noncompliance and ongoing threat to regional stability.”

She said U.S. airstrikes June 21 on three Iranian nuclear facilities were aimed at mitigating Iran’s threat to Israel, the region and more broadly to international peace and security — and degraded its capacity to produce a nuclear weapon.

“In this critical moment,” Shea said, “we must all urge Iran to seize this opportunity for peace and prosperity – and abide by its international obligations.”

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis told the U.N. Security Council that following the Israel-Iran ceasefire “we urgently need to come back to a diplomatic solution.”

He said Iran’s nuclear program can only be addressed with “adequate involvement of the international community.”

Ensuring Iran doesn’t acquire or develop a nuclear weapon is “a key security priority” for the 27-nation EU, he stressed.

Lambrinidis said the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, must remain “the sole impartial and independent international organization to monitor and verify the implementation of Iran’s nuclear non-proliferation commitments.”

Rosemary DiCarlo told the U.N. Security Council that the ceasefire is also an opportunity to peacefully resolve the Iran nuclear issue.

She said, “Diplomacy, dialogue and verification remain the best option to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and to bring about concrete economic benefits to the people of Iran.”

DiCarlo spoke at a council meeting on the remaining U.N. sanctions on Iranian nuclear activities and transfers under the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with six key nations in 2015 that expire in October. U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal in 2018.

Danny Danon told U.N. reporters that “We will have to speak and negotiate and make sure that we will not repeat and get to the situation where we were 12 days ago, where we had a major threat in the Middle East.”

While it’s still too early to assess all the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, he said, “We know we were able to push back the program, we were able to remove the imminent threat that we had.”

As for calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Danon said Israel hopes to renew negotiations on the ceasefire proposal that U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff put on the table.

He also said he has no doubt that Israel’s ability to confront the threats it faced during the conflict will lead other countries to normalize relations with his country.

In response to a question, Danon said, “I think that president Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.”

Israel’s military announced Tuesday that it is easing nationwide civil defense restrictions, allowing most of the country to return to full activity starting at 8 p.m. local time.

The decision, made following a situational assessment and approved by Defense Minister Israel Katz, applies to all areas except communities near the Gaza border, which will continue to follow Southern Command guidelines, the military said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel’s war against Iran brought the country’s nuclear program “to ruin.”

Speaking in a televised statement, he listed Israel’s achievements in the war, including its attacks on top generals and nuclear scientists. He said Israel destroyed nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan, along with the Arak heavy water reactor.

“For dozens of years, I promised you that Iran would not have nuclear weapons and indeed … we brought to ruin Iran’s nuclear program,” Netanyahu said.

After the U.S. carried out strikes on Iran, President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to expect further American offensive military action, a senior White House official said.

Following Sunday’s bombardment on three key Iranian nuclear sites, Trump told Netanyahu that it was time to stop the war and return to diplomatic negotiations.

Trump’s position was that the U.S. had removed any imminent threat posed by Iran, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly about the sensitive diplomatic talks.

The U.S. official said Netanyahu understood Trump’s stance that the U.S. had no desire to be further involved with the situation militarily.

The State Department said Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to Turkmenistan’s foreign minister, Rashid Meredov, about the conflict, mainly to impress the importance the U.S. places on allowing American citizens to leave neighboring Iran by land through his country.

Nearly 200 American citizens had been stuck at the Iranian-Turkmenistan border over the weekend waiting for permission to enter.

The State Department sent a diplomatic note to Turkmenistan appealing for assistance in the matter on Sunday and officials said Tuesday that the situation appeared to have been resolved.

“The United States expressed gratitude for Turkmenistan’s cooperation and looks forward to further partnership with Turkmenistan, including expanding economic and commercial ties,” the State Department said in a readout of Rubio’s call.

Rubio also spoke by phone about Iran with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in part to review “next steps to promote a durable peace between Israel and Iran.”

Italy has hosted several rounds of now-stalled nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran and has offered, along with the Vatican, to host more in the future. The readout of the Rubio-Tajani call provided no additional details.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed U.S. President Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire and said the fighting must stop.

“The people of the two countries have already suffered too much,” he tweeted on X.

As for the war in Gaza, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United States, Qatar and Egypt have been able to achieve limited ceasefires between Israel and Hamas.

“It is high time that leaders on both sides find the political courage to put a stop to this carnage,” he said

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in the Tuesday statement that Islamabad welcomes and supports efforts aimed at reviving dialogue and diplomacy in the region.

“Pakistan believes that lasting peace and stability can only be achieved through strict adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and by refraining from the use of force,” the ministry said.

The country has no diplomatic ties with Israel and has said it is ready to play a role in promoting peace in the Middle East.

The IAEA said it has identified additional impact points at the Fordo and Natanz nuclear sites, including possible localized contamination and chemical hazards.

“Regarding the additional strikes to Fordo that were reported early on Monday – after the U.S. bombing of the facility early on Sunday – the IAEA assesses that access roads close to the underground facility and one of its entrances were hit,” the statement read.

At Natanz, the IAEA said that it has identified “two impact holes from the U.S. strikes above the underground halls that had been used for enrichment as well as for storage.”

“Based on its knowledge of what these halls contained, the IAEA assesses that this strike may have caused localized contamination and chemical hazards,” it added.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said that he wrote a letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressing the need for a resumption of the agency’s work in Iran and expressing readiness for a meeting.

“Resuming cooperation with the IAEA is key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities,” he said in the statement published by the agency.

The agency’s inspectors have “remained in Iran throughout the conflict and are ready to start working as soon as possible, going back to the country’s nuclear sites and verifying the inventories of nuclear material – including more than 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60% – which they last verified a few days before the Israeli air strikes began on 13 June,” the statement said.

Oil prices are dropping further on hopes that Israel’s war with Iran will not damage the global flow of crude.

A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude has fallen 4.9% to $65.12. Brent crude, the international standard, has dropped 4.8% to $67.13.

Oil prices have dropped so much in the last two days that they’re below where they were before Israel attacked Iran nearly two weeks ago.

Iran is a major producer of crude, and it could try to block the Strait of Hormuz off its coast. That’s where 20% of the world’s daily oil needs pass through on ships.

The United Nations human rights office has called Israel’s attack on Iran’s Evin prison a “grave” breach of international humanitarian law. It says the prison should not have been a target.

Israel on Monday attacked the prison, which is known for holding political activists. Israel said it attacked “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.”

Iran says it has transferred all inmates out of the prison so workers can repair damage.

A top U.S. military official says Iran still possesses “significant tactical capability” in spite of an American strike over the weekend on three of the country’s nuclear sites.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told lawmakers Tuesday that capability was demonstrated by a limited retaliatory missile strike by Iran a day earlier on a U.S. military base in Qatar.

In response to a question about whether Iran still poses a threat to U.S. troops and Americans around the world, he replied, “They do.”

Cooper, currently the deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command, made the remarks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing as the panel considers his nomination for the position of commander of Central Command.

The U.S. entry into Israel’s war with Iran caused travel disruptions to pile up globally this week, with flight cancellations continuing Tuesday.

Airports and skies throughout the region have been on edge since Israel began the deadly war on June 13. And in the days following the escalatory U.S. strikes, more and more carriers canceled flights, particularly in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which sit just across the Persian Gulf from Iran.

Qatar Airways said its flights were suspended because of Monday’s closure of air traffic in Qatar. Qatar Airways shared that it was working to restore operations after the country’s airspace reopened — but noted that disruptions may continue through Thursday.

Emirates suspended all flights to Iran and Iraq, including those serving Baghdad and Basra, through June 30.

Elsewhere, Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Dutch carrier KLM were among firms cancelling some flights to Middle Eastern airports.

China supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and security and “achieving a real ceasefire,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart.

Wang repeated China’s earlier condemnation of the military strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran and thanked Tehran for its support in evacuating Chinese citizens in Iran, according to a readout of their conversation published on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that though Iran and Israel have agreed on a ceasefire, the situation remains unstable.

He said “real negotiations” can only begin once Israel halts its “aggression.”

Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty has emphasized to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the importance of honoring the sovereignty of Gulf and Arab states.

During the call on Tuesday, Araghchi confirmed that Iran respects the sovereignty and peace of Qatar and honors the friendly neighborhood policy, according to a statement released by Egypt’s foreign ministry.

Both foreign ministers agreed to work on de-escalation in the region.

President Donald Trump has said in a social media post said that “China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran,” suggesting that the ceasefire would prevent the disruption of Iranian oil production.

A 2024 re port by the U.S. Energy Information Administration contained estimates suggesting that roughly 80% to 90% of the oil exported by Iran went to China.

The Chinese economy could struggle to preserve its industrial production without the roughly 1.2 million barrels of oil and other fossil fuels provided by Iran.

About 100 French citizens have arrived in Cyprus on Tuesday aboard a French military aircraft that evacuated them from Israel.

The passengers, who flew from Tel Aviv, will catch flights from Cyprus back to France.

Jeremie Khiat said he arrived in Israel 15 days ago for a vacation when the missiles started flying at the start of the war between Israel and Iran on June 8.

He said “lots of buildings where destroyed” in the area where he was staying near the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv.

“There was like a few attacks that were very scary, but everyone is doing great,” said Khiat.

Cyprus has become a key transit hub for people evacuated from Israel to be repatriated following the start of the war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow is ready to help settle the conflict between Israel and Iran, but will not act as a mediator.

Lavrov spoke Tuesday in Moscow. He also asserted that there was no evidence Iran had been readying an attack on Israel before Israel attacked.

Analysts say Russia’s muted response to the U.S. attack on Iran nuclear sites, without any apparent military aid, is likely to disappoint Iran. It also reflects Russia’s diminished influence in the Middle East.

The Kremlin has bristled at suggestions it is abandoning or neglecting Iran. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday denied claims that Moscow had not given meaningful support.

India has welcomed the role played by the U.S and Qatar in bringing about the ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

“There is no alternative to dialogue and diplomacy,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, expressing hope that all concerned parties will work towards sustained peace.

In an interview with The Associated PressIsrael’s ambassador to France said Israeli strikes have killed at least 14 Iranian physicists and nuclear engineers who he alleged were “personally involved” in nuclear weapons development.

Ambassador Joshua Zarka said “the fact that the whole group disappeared is basically throwing back the program by a number of years.”

He said the strikes could deter other scientists from taking their place. “I do think that people that will be asked to be part of a future nuclear weapon program in Iran will think twice about it,” he said Monday.

On Tuesday, Iran state TV reported the death of another Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber, in an Israeli strike.

Nuclear analysts say Iran has other scientists who can take their place.

China has reacted to President Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, saying it does not want to see “the spiral of escalations.”

China’s comments came in a foreign ministry briefing Tuesday. It said it hopes that “a ceasefire can be realized as soon as possible.”

China is Iran’s largest trading partner and only remaining oil customer. It had condemned the weekend U.S. strikes on Iran nuclear sites and called them a serious violation of international law that further inflamed tensions in the Middle East.

Iran’s president has called the Qatari Emir and expressed his regret over the attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar, according to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The Emir told the Iranian president on Tuesday that Qatar is a friendly neighbor and and didn’t expect a move that violated the country’s sovereignty, Al Thani said.

“We welcome the announcement (of the ceasefire) despite the violations we saw today. We hope the ceasefire holds and we call parties to abide by the ceasefire reached,” he said.

“You know, the Iranians are very good traders, very good businesspeople, and they got a lot of oil. They should be fine. They should be able to rebuild and do a good job,” Trump continued on Air Force One.

“They’re never going to have nuclear, but other than that they should do a great job,” he told reporters.

President Donald Trump said he wasn’t seeking regime change in Iran, two days after first floating the idea.

“I don’t want it. I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. “Regime change takes chaos and ideally, we don’t want to see so much chaos, so we’ll see how it does.

Over the weekend, he mused on his social media account that “if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???”

As a ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect Tuesday, Israel’s emergency services released final figures from 12 days of fighting.

According to the data, 1,347 people in Israel were affected, including 28 killed, 17 seriously wounded, 29 moderately wounded, 872 lightly wounded and 401 treated for anxiety.

Netanyahu’s office says Israel struck an Iranian radar in response to the Iranian missile attack early Tuesday. But it says the Israeli leader held off tougher action after an appeal from President Donald Trump.

“Following President Trump’s conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel refrained from additional attacks,” Netanyahu’s office says.

A high-profile Iranian nuclear scientist was killed in an Israeli strike, Iran state TV said, making him the latest in a list of top atomic experts who are said to have been killed in Israeli attacks over the last 12 days.

Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber, who the U.S. State Department had sanctioned last month, was killed at his father-in-law’s residence in an early Tuesday morning strike in northern Iran, according to the report.

It added that three projectiles had hit the residence, and an earlier round of strikes had killed his 17-year-old son on June 13.

The Council on Foreign Relations on Monday said that Israeli strikes had killed at least 10 nuclear scientists since the Israel-Iran war broke out. The U.S. State Department last month described Sedighi Saber as the head of Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research’s Shahid Karimi Group, which works on explosives-related projects, adding that he was “linked to projects including research and testing applicable to the development of nuclear explosive devices.”

President Donald Trump has spoken to Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu from Air Force One as he made his way to the NATO summit at The Hague.

Trump did not mince words, according to a White House official familiar with the matter. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the private leaders’ call, said Trump was “exceptionally firm and direct with Prime Minister Netanyahu about what needed to happen to sustain the ceasefire.”

The official added that Netanyahu understood the severity of situation and acknowledged Trump’s concerns.

President Donald Trump has said in a Truth Social post that Israeli fighter jets will “turn around” and won’t attack Iran, as he presses both sides to abide by a ceasefire.

The comments came shortly after he expressed deep frustration with both Israel and Iran as the truce appeared to falter.

“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” Trump said in his post.

“Egypt completely rejects any violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, following the recent Iranian attacks on the Al-Udeid base,” read a statement from the spokesperson for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi.

It also lauded the Qatari military’s capability and the efficiency of its air defense systems in repelling Iran’s attack.

Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on the U.S. military base, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites.

President Donald Trump has expressed deep disappointment with both Israel and Iran over the truce he helped broker as validation for his strategic gamble of ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said at the White House.

He used an expletive as he spoke to reporters.

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing.”

The president took to his Truth Social platform to warn Israel to end its attacks.

“ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION,” Trump posted. “BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”

Turkey has welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Iran but also said it was closely monitoring statements indicating violations.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry urged all parties to fully observe the ceasefire the “critical period ahead,” saying the Middle East was in need of peace and stability.

The ministry also called for the resolution of the Palestinian issue which it described as being at the “root of many problems in the Middle East.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concerns that the Israel-Iran war has increased the risk that Iranian leaders will continue work in secret to enrich uranium that can be used for nuclear weapons.

“This risk has, it’s true, increased with what has happened recently,” Macron said. He was asked if Iranian uranium-enrichment work could continue in secret after nearly two weeks of Israeli airstrikes and the dropping of giant bunker-busting bombs by U.S. stealth bombers on Iranian nuclear plants.

He repeated France’s desire for negotiations to address concerns about Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“Our shared objective is that Iran doesn’t equip itself with a nuclear weapon,” he said.

President Donald Trump says both Israel and Iran violated ceasefire terms with attacks following an early Tuesday deadline to cease hostilities.

Trump made the comments to reporters at the White House before departing for the NATO summit at The Hague. He expressed disappointment about the continued attacks.

“They violated it but Israel violated it too,” Trump said. He added, ”I’m not happy with Israel.”

“Attacking Qatar is unacceptable… we were surprised by the attack on the military base,” said Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, referring to Monday’s attack on the Al idid on base.

The base is a sprawling desert facility in Qatar that serves as a major regional military hub for American forces.

He told reporters Tuesday that the Iranian attack had left a “scar” on his country’s relationship with Tehran.

Al Thani said Qatar will not resort to escalatory steps, but will rely on legal measures and diplomacy instead when responding to the attack. He added that Qatar intercepted all missiles except one that fell in a deserted area.

In the Israeli city of Beersheba, where an Iranian missile hit the top floor of an apartment building and killed several people, a gaping hole overlooked the street where the side of an apartment building once stood.

AP reporters got rare access into the building and saw clothes and kitchen utensils strewn among the smashed concrete, as first responders kept searching for survivors and bodies.

The responders say that the damage caused by Iran’s ballistic missiles was more extensive than attacks they’ve dealt with in the past. They also include bomblets — small explosive submunitions — which makes it more dangerous to search for people as quickly as the area has to first be cleared.

The central headquarters of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has claimed that Israel conducted strikes in Iran until 9 a.m. local (0530GMT,) Iranian state television reported.

However, there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. local, around the time Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would hold its fire if Israel did the same. The Guard offered no evidence to support their claim of the later Israeli attacks.

Under the ceasefire plan announced by President Donald Trump, Israel had until 1000GMT to conduct strikes.