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EU Welcomes US-Iran Ceasefire, Urges Efforts to Create Lasting Agreement

A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
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EU Welcomes US-Iran Ceasefire, Urges Efforts to Create Lasting Agreement

A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)

EU leaders on Wednesday welcomed the two-week ceasefire agreed by the United States and Iran.

"I welcome the two-week ceasefire the US and Iran agreed last night. It brings much needed de-escalation", European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media platform X, adding ‌it was ‌crucial negotiations continue for ‌an enduring ⁠solution.

European Council President ⁠Costa added on X that he urged "all parties to uphold its terms in order to achieve sustainable peace in the region".

Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, said the ceasefire ⁠deal was "a step back from ‌the brink ‌after weeks of escalation".

"It creates a much-needed chance ‌to tone down threats, stop missiles, ‌restart shipping, and create space for diplomacy towards a lasting agreement," she added.

US President Donald Trump announced late on Tuesday that he ‌had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, less ⁠than ⁠two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

The announcement late on Tuesday represented an abrupt turnaround from his extraordinary warning earlier in the day, when he said "a whole civilization will die tonight" if his demands were not met.

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Iran Could Open Strait of Hormuz in a Controlled Way ahead of Meeting with US, Senior Iranian Official Says

FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz, also known as Madiq Hurmuz, is seen in this illustration taken March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz, also known as Madiq Hurmuz, is seen in this illustration taken March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Iran Could Open Strait of Hormuz in a Controlled Way ahead of Meeting with US, Senior Iranian Official Says

FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz, also known as Madiq Hurmuz, is seen in this illustration taken March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz, also known as Madiq Hurmuz, is seen in this illustration taken March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Iran could open the Strait of Hormuz in a limited and controlled way on Thursday or Friday ahead of a meeting between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official, involved in the talks, told Reuters on Wednesday.

"If an understanding on a framework for talks is reached, the strait could be opened "limited, under Iran's control," the official said, Reuters reported.

"Coordinating with Iranian military will be mandatory for all ships. Still the ceasefire is fragile, however, we prefer lasting peace but Iran has no fear to return to war if the US wants go the same way."

World

10 Reportedly Detained in Türkiye Over Shootout Near Israel Mission

A drone view shows police officers and medics standing at the scene, after a gunfire was heard near the building housing the Israeli consulate, according to a witness, in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan
A drone view shows police officers and medics standing at the scene, after a gunfire was heard near the building housing the Israeli consulate, according to a witness, in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan
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10 Reportedly Detained in Türkiye Over Shootout Near Israel Mission

A drone view shows police officers and medics standing at the scene, after a gunfire was heard near the building housing the Israeli consulate, according to a witness, in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan
A drone view shows police officers and medics standing at the scene, after a gunfire was heard near the building housing the Israeli consulate, according to a witness, in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan

Ten people, including two wounded gunmen, were in detention Wednesday a day after a deadly shootout near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, the state Anadolu news agency reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkish media said a gunman who was killed in the shootout was linked to ISIS, Agence France Presse reported.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci had said that one of the assailants was linked to an "organization that exploits religion" and that the two wounded gunmen were brothers with links to the drugs trade.

Other arrests have been made since the attempted attack on Tuesday which led to the shootout which witnesses said lasted more than 10 minutes.

"The number of people detained, including the two terrorists who are still hospitalized, has risen to 10," the state news agency said, quoting investigators.

There were no Israeli diplomats at the mission at the time as most have been evacuated since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas in Israel that set off the Gaza war.

World

Kyiv Calls for Ukraine Ceasefire After Iran Truce

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture after an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture after an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 25, 2026. (Reuters)
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Kyiv Calls for Ukraine Ceasefire After Iran Truce

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture after an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture after an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Kyiv on Wednesday called on the United States to pressure Russia into ending its invasion of Ukraine, saying Washington's ceasefire agreement with Iran showed the success of US "decisiveness." 

"American decisiveness works. We believe it is time for sufficient decisiveness to force Moscow to cease fire and end its war against Ukraine," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on social media. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy echoed those comments in a later post on social media. 

"Ukraine has always called for a ceasefire in the war waged by Russia here in Europe against our state and our people, and we support the ceasefire in the Middle East and the Gulf that paves the way for diplomatic efforts," he wrote. 

"The situation in this region has global implications -- any threats to security and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf amplify challenges for the economy and the cost of living in every country," he added. 

He reiterated readiness to pause strikes on Russian infrastructure if Moscow halted its long-range drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian power plants and grid. 

"Ukraine tells Russia once again: we are ready to respond in kind if the Russians stop their strikes. It is obvious to everyone that a ceasefire can create the right preconditions for agreements," Zelenskiy wrote. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022 has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions, making it the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.