00:01The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in a deal that includes the reopening of the
00:07Strait of Hormuz.
00:11Israel launched multiple airstrikes on Lebanon, claiming the two-week Iran ceasefire does not apply to the country.
00:20The left MEP Mark Bottenga said the EU did no diplomatic effort to end the war in Iran in Euronews
00:27flagship program Europe Today.
00:30President Emmanuel Macron welcomed two French nationals who returned to Paris after spending almost four years detained in Iran.
00:40FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Spain's Football Federation after Islamophobic chants were made during a friendly game against Egypt
00:48last month.
00:51The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire late on Tuesday as US President Donald Trump held
00:59off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges and power plants in a deal that includes the reopening of the
01:05Strait of Hormuz.
01:08Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States
01:14in Islamabad beginning Friday.
01:17Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin.
01:21And even as it was announced, missile alerts continued across the Gulf and Israel and Israel kept up its strikes
01:28on Iran.
01:30Israel said it also agreed to the ceasefire but added that it does not include Lebanon,
01:36contradicting statements from Pakistan's Prime Minister, a key mediator, that Israel and Hezbollah would also cease their fighting.
01:43Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragji said passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be allowed under Iranian military management.
01:51It wasn't immediately clear whether that meant Iran would completely loosen its chokehold on the waterway.
01:58In addition to control of the strait, Iran's demands for ending the war include withdrawal of US combat forces from
02:05the region,
02:05the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.
02:17An Israeli strike over the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, launched without warning, has killed at least eight people
02:25and injured 22 others during the night, Lebanon's health ministry said.
02:29Multiple Israeli airstrikes also hit the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Wednesday after the United States and Iran announced a
02:37two-week ceasefire.
02:39Israel's military claimed it launched the largest coordinated strike of the war,
02:43targeting more than a hundred Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes.
02:47Israel earlier said it backed the US around ceasefire but that the deal did not extend to Lebanon,
02:54although mediator Pakistan said it does.
02:56This place Lebanese families expressed confusion on Wednesday.
03:01We were in Iran on Wednesday.
03:05We didn't know it.
03:07But we were in Iran and we were in the house,
03:10because they were like the people.
03:12No water, no water, no anything.
03:15But we were in the sandwich, we didn't know it.
03:19In the war, we didn't know it.
03:22We didn't know it.
03:23We didn't know it.
03:24We didn't know it.
03:25We didn't know it.
03:26We didn't know it.
03:27We didn't know it.
03:30Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,500 people in Lebanon since the beginning of the war between Israel and
03:36the Hezbollah.
03:40There's a sense of optimism and positivity here in the UAE this morning after what was a pretty tense and
03:47stressful day and night last night leading up to the announcement of that temporary two-week ceasefire.
03:54That said, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Doha and Saudi Arabia all issued alerts throughout the night, warning of imminent attacks,
04:05and they came not long after the ceasefire agreement was decided upon.
04:10Of course, the question on everybody's lips is what happens after that two-week period with regards to the Strait
04:17of Hormuz.
04:17Does this become a pump and dump scheme whereby ships are allowed to pass for that two-week period?
04:23Then what happens after?
04:24Do the blockades return?
04:26And of course, the stress and high tension that come with that.
04:29So a lot of questions still today, but I would say there is a sense of hope and optimism that
04:36this is the beginning, the start of reconciliation and peace across the region.
04:45Oil prices fell sharply on Wednesday morning as European and Asian markets surged after the U.S. and Iran agreed
04:52to a two-week ceasefire that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
04:56Although traders remain cautious until the truth proves durable, markets reflected the newfound optimism that the conflict may cease.
05:05Brent crude stood at around $95 per barrel on Wednesday morning, up almost 30% since the war began in
05:12late February, but well below the peaks of recent weeks of $110 per barrel.
05:17The Eurostox 50 was up more than 3% in early trading, while the broader Pan-European Stock 600 was
05:25over 4% higher and eyeing the largest daily increase since April 2025.
05:30The worry that has stalked markets since late February still remains, namely that a prolonged disruption to Gulf oil flows
05:38will keep energy prices elevated long enough to push a fresh wave of inflation through the global economy, with or
05:45without a ceasefire.
05:50Belgian MEP Mark Botenga welcomed the two-week ceasefire agreed by the United States and Iran after the U.S.
05:57President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats last night.
06:01But the MEP, who belongs to the left group in the European Parliament, was highly critical of the EU's response
06:08to the crisis.
06:09The European Union has done nothing, no diplomatic efforts whatsoever, for a crisis that not only is violating human rights,
06:16is violating international law, but was also violating our interests.
06:20The two-week ceasefire was first announced by President Trump, with Iran's Supreme National Security Council saying soon after that
06:29it would negotiate with the United States in the capital of Pakistan, Issamabad, beginning Friday.
06:34According to Botenga, the EU has failed to point out who the victim of the conflict is.
06:41They should have condemned the war. They should have condemned the war crimes. You know, imagine that. You've got 160
06:47people killed in a strike on a school in Iran, and the European Union is not able to condemn this.
06:54Imagine that.
06:55They should have condemned the genocidal rhetoric of President Trump last night, saying, I'm going to blow up a country,
07:01I'm going to end the civilization. Of course, you should react.
07:03European Council President Antonio Costa had warned on Monday that striking civilian infrastructure and energy facilities in Iran would be
07:12illegal and unacceptable. A few hours after Trump's announcement, EU High Representative Kayakalas said the ceasefire is a step back
07:21from the brink.
07:27President Emmanuel Macron welcomed two French nationals who returned to Paris on Wednesday after spending almost four years detained in
07:36Iran on espionage charges with a French leader hailing the end of a terrible ordeal.
07:41I wanted to tell you how we were, at first, how it was a great pleasure to take them into
07:48our arms.
07:48I wanted to express my recognition for the Republic of the State, as well as the President of the Republic,
07:54the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs,
07:57and all the people who were mobilised to go to the end of the world to make us disappear from
08:03the grave, where we have lived the horror daily, where we have lived the arbitration forever.
08:10Cécile Colleur and Jacques Paris had been under house arrest at the French Embassy in Tehran ever since being freed
08:17after three years in prison in November, with their fate even more uncertain after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran started
08:24in February.
08:25They were arrested in May 2022 at the end of a trip to Iran that their families say was for
08:32tourism.
08:33At the end of a closed-door trial, an Iranian court in October sentenced them to jail on espionage charges
08:40their families say were fabricated.
08:43The pair were among a number of Europeans caught up in what activists and some Western governments describe as a
08:50deliberate strategy of hostage-taking by Iran to extract concessions from the West.
09:00Taiwan's opposition leader, Chengliwun, is on a historic six-day trip to Beijing to boost dialogue and promote peace.
09:08China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory and has not excluded the use of force to take
09:16it.
09:16Liwen's push for peace comes as Beijing has been ramping up its military pressure against the island by regularly sending
09:24warplanes and naval vessels near it.
09:38Liwen's visit comes ahead of a heavily anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi
09:46Jinping.
09:47The Trump administration announced in December a massive deal with Taiwan, valued at more than €9.4 billion, which includes
09:57medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones.
10:00Beijing has repeatedly criticized Washington's weapons sales to Taiwan and warned Washington against interfering in what it deems as its
10:09domestic affairs.
10:15FIFA says it has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish Football Federation after Islamophobic chants were made by Spanish fans
10:24during a game against Egypt last month.
10:27Spanish fans were heard chanting, quote, who doesn't jump is a Muslim, during the pre-World Cup-friendly game which
10:33ended in a nil-nil draw.
10:36Announcements over the stadium's PA system and screens displayed anti-racism slogans and called for respect during the match, but
10:44the chanting continued.
10:46The chanting drew condemnation from Spain and Barcelona superstar Lamin Yamal, who's a practicing Muslim himself.
10:53Yamal acknowledged that the chants hurt him, even though they weren't directed at him.
10:59In a post on Instagram after the match, the 18-year-old winger labeled those who use religion as a
11:04mockery as, quote, ignorant and racist.
11:08Spain manager Luis de la Fuente also condemned what he called intolerable behavior in the post-match press conference, adding
11:16that it doesn't represent the country or national team.
11:19Separate from the FIFA proceedings, Spanish police announced that it has launched its own probe into the incident, which is
11:26being handled by the Hate Crime and Discrimination Unit.
11:30Spain's foreign minister, Jose Albares, conveyed his apologies and condemnation of the fans' behavior to his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelati.
11:39The top Egyptian diplomat denounced the xenophobic remarks, but emphasized that they view Spain as a tolerant and pluralistic country.
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