Trump says 'great progress' made on Gaza ceasefire talks

US President Donald Trump said attacking Iran caused "great progress" in negotiations regarding Gaza, and insisted Tehran "won't be building nuclear weapons for a long time." has more.

Washington, Tehran in early discussions on resuming nuclear talks, Witkoff says US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities reportedly set the country's nuclear program back by only a few months, according to a preliminary classified report Donald Trump, however, claims the air strikes set Iran's nuclear ambitions back by "decades" A fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel appears to be largely holding

The blog brings you the latest developments on the status of the ceasefire in the Israel-Iran war and the wider crisis in the Middle East on Wednesday, June 25:

Iran's nuclear program set 'decades' back by air strikes, Trump says

US President Donald Trump has said Iran is "not going to be building bombs for a long time" following the recent strikes on its nuclear facilities.

He described the US attacks as causing "total obliteration" and setting Iran's nuclear ambitions by "decades."

This comes despite a CNN report on an initial intelligence evaluation that suggested the strikes had failed to destroy Iran's underground nuclear facilities and did not fully eliminate Iran's centrifuges or the country's stockpile of enriched uranium.

Trump labeled the reports "fake news," while also saying there is "great progress" on the negotiations to end the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

According to Trump, the strikes on Iran would help with the release of the 50 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

IDF: 'Prepared to respond' should Iran ceasefire not hold

The Israeli military has said Iran was "far from reaching a nuclear weapon" following the clashes with Israel.

"There is Iran before our operation, Iran that had the ability to quickly reach a nuclear weapon, and Iran after the operation, a country that's far from reaching a nuclear weapon," said Effie Deffrin, the chief Israeli army spokesman.

Deffrin said the Israeli army is still ready for any development, despite the ceasefire with Iran.

"We are following everything that happens on all seven fronts, with emphasis on Iran, and we are prepared to respond if needed," he said.

Rubio: Iran 'much further away' from nuclear bomb

Iran's nuclear program suffered "very significant" and "substantial" damage after the US strike on its three main nuclear sites over the weekend, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

"The bottom line is, they are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action," Rubio told US outlet Politico .

"We're just learning more about it," Rubio added.

Iran to suspend IAEA cooperation after Israel, US strikes

Iran's parliament has voted in favor of suspending the country's cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, state media said.

According to Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf , the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "put its international credibility for auction" by not condemning the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran's atomic energy entity will therefore suspend its cooperation with IAEA "until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed," Bagher Ghalibaf said.

Iran executes more prisoners on charges of spying for Israel

Iran has executed three people after accusing them of spying for Israel, according to state-run IRNA news agency.

One of the prisoners was reported to be an Iraqi national.

Since June 16, Iran has executed six people due to alleged espionage, with human rights activists fearing more executions to come.

7 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

An armored vehicle transporting IDF soldiers has been struck by an explosive in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the Israeli military said.

The blast killed all seven soldiers inside the vehicle.

Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023, with some 400 killed in the fighting inside Gaza.

Israel warns Iran against restoring nuclear program

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli airstrikes "sent Iran's nuclear program down the drain" and achieved a "historic victory."

"If someone in Iran tries to restore that program, we will act with the same determination, the same power, to cut off any such attempt," Netanyahu warned.

Previously, Iran said that it had "taken the necessary measures" to ensure the continuation of its nuclear program.

"Plans for restarting [the facilities] have been prepared in advance, and our strategy is to ensure that production and services are not disrupted," Mohammad Eslami, the chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in a televised statement on Tuesday.

Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called for nuclear inspections in Iran to restart following the ceasefire with Israel.

"Resuming cooperation with the IAEA is key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear activities," IAEA head Rafael Grossi said in a statement.

US strikes may only have set back Iran nuclear program by a matter of months — report

A preliminary US intelligence assessment reportedly found that Iran's nuclear program has only been set back by a few months following US strikes on Iran's key nuclear facilities, according to Reuters.

According to the assessment, Tehran would be able to restart its nuclear program later this year, Reuters said, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The assessment is at odds with US President Donald Trump's assertions over the weekend that the US strikes had "fully obliterated" Iran's nuclear program.

How has the Trump administration responded?

The damage assessment was first reported by CNN, which asked the White House for comment. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the "alleged" assessment was "flat-out wrong."

"Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration," she was quoted as saying.

Trump has also denied the news on his Truth Social platform. In a post written in capital letters, he described CNN as "fake news," writing the reporting aimed to "demean one of the most successful military strikes in history." He maintained that Iran's nuclear sites are now "completely destroyed."

The America strikes on Iranian nuclear sites used conventional weapons as well as bunker-busting bombs, believed to be the only bombs capable of destroying Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site.

The extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities and sites remains unclear.

US, Iran are in 'promising' discussions over resuming nuclear talks, Trump envoy says

The US and Iran are in early discussions about resuming negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, US special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News.

"The conversations are promising. We're hopeful," Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News. "Now it's time to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace deal."

Witkoff said US and Iran are engaged in both direct talks and through intermediaries about getting back to the table after Israeli and US strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.

A new round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran was slated for June 15, but Israel carried out strikes on Iran two days earlier. That triggered a war that saw the US bomb three nuclear facilities in Iran this past weekend, before Trump announced a surprise ceasefire on Monday.

Welcome to our coverage

Despite reported violations in the first hours, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran seems to be holding, after US President Donald Trump put out a sharp reprimand against both countries.

On Tuesday, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington and Tehran were in early discussions over resuming nuclear talks which were derailed by the Israeli strikes on Iran and the resulting war.

Meanwhile, an early intelligence assessment has reportedly found that Iran's nuclear program was only set back by a few months, following American strikes on three Iranian facilities. The findings, which are ongoing, are at odds with Trump's assertions that Iran's nuclear program was "fully obliterated."

Follow along for the latest news on the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, as well as news, videos and analyses from the wider Middle East region.