Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday emphasized preserving the Iran–US ceasefire to support regional and global stability.

During a phone call, the two leaders reviewed recent developments and efforts to contain the conflict, highlighting the importance of maintaining the truce to reduce tensions. They also addressed Israeli activity in Lebanon and its wider impact, calling for an immediate halt and stressing the need to protect civilians.

Al-Sudani also pointed to efforts to strengthen Iraq–France relations and expand cooperation, noting recent security operations that led to the arrest of individuals involved in launching a drone targeting a site near Erbil hosting US-led Coalition forces, an incident that resulted in the death of a French officer.

Read more: Iraq casualties: Over 100 killed in 40 days as US-Iran ceasefire took effect

US President Donald Trump had earlier announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran following nearly 40 days of regional escalation. Despite the truce, Israeli forces then carried out more than 100 airstrikes within 10 minutes across multiple locations in Lebanon, including Beirut, its suburbs, the south, and the Beqaa, with the Lebanese Health Ministry reporting 182 people killed and 890 others injured.

Iran responded by moving to restrict tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, warning it may reconsider the ceasefire if operations in Lebanon continue. An informed source told Tasnim News Agency that Tehran is reviewing the option of withdrawing from the truce, describing the strikes as a violation of what it considers a comprehensive agreement, while Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for Iran’s parliamentary National Security Committee, stressed that any ceasefire must apply across all fronts.