EU welcomes US-Iran ceasefire, urges efforts to create lasting agreement

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.

U.S. 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.

m Pakistan and Germany to New Zealand — echoed the EU’s cautious optimism, welcoming the ceasefire while stressing the imperative for sustained negotiations to translate this provisional pause into durable stability. Some voices, notably from the Gulf or within Iran’s own official channels, have signalled that a two‑week truce alone may be insufficient to resolve underlying drivers of the conflict.