The China Mail - Israel's Netanyahu vows to block Iran 'nuclear weapon' as he declares victory

The premier's comments, delivered in an address to the nation, came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was willing to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme.

Pezeshkian insisted, however, that Iran would continue to "assert its legitimate rights" to the peaceful use of atomic energy.

"Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," Netanyahu said after the ceasefire ended 12 days of deadly air and missile strikes between the arch foes.

"We have thwarted Iran's nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt."

Israel's strikes eventually drew in the United States, which on Sunday hit Iran's underground nuclear facilities with powerful "bunker-buster" bombs that Israel lacked.

After Iran retaliated with a missile attack Monday night targeting a US base in Qatar, President Donald Trump called for de-escalation, announcing the contours of a truce deal hours later.

In a phone call Tuesday, Pezeshkian told his Emirati counterpart "to explain to them, in your dealings with the United States, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is only seeking to assert its legitimate rights".

"It has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and does not seek them," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, adding that Iran was "ready to resolve the issues... at the negotiating table".

Israel has said its war, which began on June 13, was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.

Israel's military said that its strikes had set back Iran's nuclear programme "by years" and that the campaign against the country was now "entering a new phase".

After Trump angrily berated both sides for early violations of the truce on Tuesday, Tehran announced it would respect the terms of the deal if Israel did the same, while Israel said it had refrained from further strikes.

- Claims of victory -

Before Netanyahu spoke, Israel's government said its military had removed the "dual existential threat" of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

"We've set Iran's nuclear project back by years, and the same applies to its missile programme," Israel's chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a later statement.

Iran's top security body, meanwhile, said the Islamic republic's forces had "compelled" Israel to "unilaterally" stand down.

Its Revolutionary Guards also hailed a last-minute missile salvo fired at Israel as "a historic and unforgettable lesson to the Zionist enemy".

- Strikes on US base -

Israeli strikes hit nuclear and military targets -- killing scientists and senior military figures -- as well as residential areas, prompting waves of Iranian missile fire on Israel.

While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, it has been by far the most destructive confrontation between the arch-foes.

The war culminated in US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites using massive bunker-busting bombs, followed by an Iranian reprisal targeting the largest US military facility in the Middle East.

Trump shrugged off that response as "weak", thanking Tehran for giving advance notice and announcing the outline of the ceasefire just hours later.

- 'Everyone is tired' -

Some Israelis on Tuesday welcomed the prospect of a truce.

"Everyone is tired. We just want to have some peace of mind," said Tel Aviv resident Tammy Shel, voicing hope for a lasting ceasefire. "For us, for the Iranian people, for the Palestinians, for everyone in the region."

In Iran, people remained uncertain whether the peace would hold.

Amir, 28, fled from Tehran to the Caspian Sea coast and told AFP by phone, "I really don't know... about the ceasefire but honestly, I don't think things will return to normal."

Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 610 civilians and wounded more than 4,700, according to the health ministry.

Iran's attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures and rescuers.

The international community reacted with cautious optimism to the truce.

Saudi Arabia and the European Union welcomed Trump's announcement, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped "that this will be a sustainable ceasefire".

But French President Emmanuel Macron warned there was an "increased" risk that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium secretly following the strikes on its nuclear sites.

During their talks, Iran and the United States had been at odds over uranium enrichment, which Tehran considers a "non-negotiable" right and which Washington has called a "red line".

After the truce was announced, Israel's military chief Zamir said Israel's focus would now shift back to Gaza.

The Israeli opposition, the Palestinian Authority and the main group representing the families of Israeli hostages all called for a Gaza truce to complement the Iran ceasefire.

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