Demonstrators protest against US-Israeli military action in Iran after US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran, outside the White House, in Washington, DC, April 7, 2026. Photo: Nathan Howard/Reuters

The truce, announced by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, will also see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime corridor through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

Countries around the world have welcomed the developments.

Here’s a roundup of the reactions:

China

China says it welcomes the ceasefire, underlining its role in encouraging a deal between the US and Iran to pause hostilities.

“China welcomes relevant parties announcing the reaching of a ceasefire agreement,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference on Wednesday.

“We have repeatedly introduced the efforts made by China,” she said, noting that Foreign Minister Wang Yi had held 26 calls with counterparts from relevant countries while Beijing’s Middle East envoy had “shuttled across” the war-torn region.

Beijing would “continue to make efforts to ease the situation and achieve a complete end to the war”.

Russia

Russia says the approach of a “one-track, aggressive, unprovoked attack” against Iran suffered a “crushing defeat” after Trump announced the two-week ceasefire.

“All the statements that were made about … being more aggressive, being more offensive, writing more on social media and ‘victory’ – it’s just around the corner. Once again, this position has suffered a crushing defeat. So has the approach of such a one-track, aggressive, unprovoked attack,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik Radio in an interview.

Zakharova further said Russia has stated the necessity of immediately stopping the “aggression” against Iran and commencing a “real political and diplomatic settlement”, as well as the lack of a military solution to the situation, from the very beginning.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council said the ceasefire showed that common sense has prevailed, but that “there’ll be no cheap oil” going forward.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X that he supports Trump’s decision to suspend strikes on Iran, and the “US effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat to America, Israel, Iran’s Arab neighbours and the world”.

Netanyahu said, however, that the ceasefire does “not include Lebanon“, where Israeli forces have launched a ground invasion and are fighting with the Iran-aligned Hezbollah.

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all parties to abide by the terms of the ceasefire “in order to pave the way toward a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region”, according to his spokesperson.

Guterres underscored “that an end to hostilities is urgently needed to protect civilian lives and alleviate human suffering”, and thanked Pakistan and other nations involved in facilitating the truce.

European Union

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “I welcome the two-week ceasefire the US and Iran agreed last night. It brings much needed de-escalation.”

European Council President Antonio Costa added that he urged “all parties to uphold its terms in order to achieve sustainable peace in the region”.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the deal “a step back from the brink after weeks of escalation”.

Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “the Spanish government will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they turn up with a bucket.”

Sanchez said ceasefires were always welcome news, but added that “momentary relief must not make us forget the chaos, the destruction and the lives lost” while calling for “diplomacy, international law and PEACE” to prevail.

India

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement welcoming the ceasefire that “the conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks.

“We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.