Iran reassures neighbours, warns US and Israel against 'new mistake'

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Middle East envoy Jean Arnault has arrived in Iran, according to a statement, as diplomatic efforts gather pace following the two-week ceasefire announced overnight.

Arnault, a veteran UN mediator appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres, is tasked with supporting international efforts to turn the fragile pause in fighting into broader negotiations aimed at ending the war.

The ceasefire, agreed by the United States and Iran with mediation from regional actors, is intended to create a narrow window for diplomacy and possible talks in the coming days.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday he hoped the Iranian people would take advantage of what he described as a new opportunity, while stressing it was not a US objective to drive internal change.

“I would love to see the Iranian people take advantage of this opportunity,” he said at a Pentagon briefing.

He said Iranians had been “oppressed” and subjected to “horrible things,” adding that internal change “was not our objective in this effort.”

Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, a key export route carrying crude from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, was hit in a drone attack, the Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

The report said a pumping station on the 1,200-km pipeline was struck at about 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday. One of the people said the damage was still being assessed.

The pipeline has become an economic lifeline for the kingdom as Saudi Aramco rerouted exports to the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

The reported attack came hours after Iran and the United States agreed a ceasefire on Tuesday evening US time.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday the United States had completed its military objectives against Iran and opened the way for a potential peace deal.

“The War Department, for now, has done its part,” he said at a Pentagon briefing.

“Now we have a chance at real peace and a real deal,” he added.

Hegseth said Iran’s military capabilities had been severely degraded, including its missile program and air defenses, and warned Tehran would face further strikes if it did not comply with the terms of the agreement.

He said the United States had been prepared to target Iran’s power plants, bridges and energy infrastructure but did not proceed after Iran accepted a ceasefire under what he described as overwhelming pressure.

Hegseth said US forces remained ready to act if needed to ensure Iran upheld the terms of the deal.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday the ceasefire with Iran was only a temporary halt and forces remained ready to resume operations.

“A ceasefire is a pause,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine said at a Pentagon briefing.

“The joint force remains ready … to resume combat operations with the same speed and precision,” he added.

He said the military hoped Iran would choose a lasting peace.