French President Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting of top defence and security officials on Wednesday after a two-week ceasefire was agreed between the United States and Iran, calling the deal “a very good thing” but saying it must “fully” include Lebanon.
The defence council brought together ministers and senior officials to discuss “the situation in Iran and the Middle East,” the Élysée said. The meeting also addressed the return of two French nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, freed by Iran.
The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, comes on the 40th day of the war and is meant to halt fighting for two weeks while negotiations take place. It also includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, whose disruption to oil shipments drove up global energy prices.
However Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, where operations against Hezbollah continued on Wednesday.
Macron said the ceasefire must be fully respected “in the days and weeks to come” and allow negotiations on Iran’s nuclear, ballistic and regional issues.
Pakistan is set to host talks from Friday in Islamabad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the deal applied across the region.
“I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, effective immediately,” he wrote on X.
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Relief and caution
European leaders reacted with cautious optimism but stressed the need for a lasting settlement.
“I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a statement.
Starmer’s office said he would travel to the Middle East for talks with Gulf partners on ensuring the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains permanent.
Oman, which had been mediating indirect talks, also welcomed the ceasefire and called for “intensifying efforts” to resolve the crisis.
Germany voiced support for continued diplomacy. “The aim now must be to negotiate a lasting end to the war in the coming days,” said Friedrich Merz. “This can only be achieved through diplomatic channels.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised the deal and used it to call for similar action against Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying on social media that “American decisiveness works”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all parties to abide by the terms of the ceasefire “to pave the way towards a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region”, his spokesman said.
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Terms and tensions
However, key details of the agreement remain unclear, with differing accounts from the parties involved.
US President Donald Trump said he agreed to suspend attacks after Iran proposed what he described as a “workable” plan, before later calling it fraudulent without elaborating.
He had earlier warned that “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”
Iran said ships would be allowed through the strait under military supervision and could be charged fees. A regional official told the Associated Press that both Iran and Oman would collect those fees, with Tehran expected to use the money for reconstruction.
(with newswires)
