The Future of Crude prices become a topic as, Israeli strikes hit two cities in Iran
Israel’s military has struck Iranian radar near Tehran, while sounds of explosions were heard near the capital, according to Reuters.
The news agency added that Babolsar in the northeast of Iran was under attack as well, casting doubt over a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran.
Iranian authorities have not yet confirmed the attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier said Israel will not carry out a retaliatory attack on Iran, after Israel accused Tehran of violating a ceasefire agreement earlier on Tuesday.
Amid media reports that Trump had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president wrote in a social media post that “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.
Trump had previously accused both Israel and Iran of violating a ceasefire deal, as he pushed to maintain an agreement he helped broker.
Speaking to reporters before departing for a NATO summit in The Hague, Trump added that he was not pleased with either country, but particularly Israel.
He said Israel had “unloaded” a strike shortly after agreeing to a halt in the hostilities. Trump later said that he had to “get Israel to calm down,” noting that “as soon as we made the [ceasefire] deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen.”
Trump has also suggested that Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been eradicated.
His comments come after the Israeli military warned that it had identified missiles launched from Iran towards Israel and was ready to retaliate, just hours after Trump declared the ceasefire to several days of deadly air attacks between the two regional rivals.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had told the country’s military to respond “forcefully” to the Iranian missiles, saying Tehran had carried out a “violation” of the agreed ceasefire. Katz said Israel’s response would include “high intensity strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran.”
Citing state TV, media outlets in Iran have reported that claims of an attack on Israel after the ceasefire took effect are “denied.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump declared that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran was now “in effect,” adding that neither side should violate it. The statement has lifted expectations that the 12-day bout of fighting between Israel and Iran has come to an end.
Trump’s statements had led to speculation that the ceasefire would take place in stages, with operations already underway being allowed to finish. An Iranian missile attack on Israel on Tuesday killed four people, according to Reuters, citing Israel’s ambulance service. Meanwhile, Tehran said an Israeli strike on northern Iran had killed nine people.
Israel, who was joined by the U.S. in its bid to erase what it has described as Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, said it had agreed to a halt in the violence, with Netanyahu claiming that the operation had achieved its objectives. Iran has maintained that its nuclear plans are peaceful.
Still, questions surrounded the longevity of the ceasefire. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also said Tehran had no intention of continuing its retaliatory strikes moving forward but stood ready to respond to any further aggression from Israel — a sentiment that Netanyahu reciprocated.
Oil prices slumped in the wake of the agreement, although some of the losses have been trimmed by renewed concerns over its staying power.
Crude had fallen sharply on Monday after Tehran responded to a weekend attack by the U.S. on Iranian nuclear sites with strikes on an American military base in Qatar. Traders largely interpreted the attack on the base in Doha, which caused no casualties, as symbolic and a precursor to cooling tensions.