‘’ We call on Iran to engage seriously in a credible diplomatic process. Because the negotiating table remains the only viable path forward,’’ said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

‘’Europe welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire by President Trump between Israel and Iran’’ wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X. ‘’ It’s an important step towards restoring stability in a region in tension. This must be our collective priority,’’ she said.

‘’ We call on Iran to engage seriously in a credible diplomatic process. Because the negotiating table remains the only viable path forward,’’ she added.

The Islamic Republic proceeded to violate the ceasefire almost immediately.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the announced reprieve in fighting between Israel and Iran ‘’is good news but remains fragile.’’ ‘’All sides should stand by this and refrain from further violence. All further escalation must be avoided,’ she wrote on X.

Trump on Monday said Israel and Iran had agreed to a “Complete” and “Total” ceasefire, ending “The 12 DAY War” which began with Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities  on June 13. Iran had send dozens of ballistic missiles on Israeli residential buildings,  killing 28 people and injuring more than 1500, according to Magen David Adom.

The US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday, claiming to destroy them completely. In retaliation, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday evening.

In Europe, the leaders of Berlin and The Hague were among the first to react to the news, and both said Iran should not be allowed to obtain nuclear arms.

Germany, France and the Netherlands on Tuesday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran—which the Islamic Republic proceeded to violate almost immediately—and supported making sure Tehran does not obtain nuclear arms.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz tweeted that he “Welcomes the American President’s call for a sequenced ceasefire. If this ceasefire succeeds following the decisive U.S. military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, it is a very positive development.”

He called on Israel and Iran to observe the ceasefire and thanked “Qatar and the other states in the region for their restraint in the dramatic last days and hours,” referencing the Iranian rocket launches at a U.S. airbase in Qatar on Monday.

“With the American and European partners, we will discuss on the sidelines of today’s NATO summit in The Hague how the situation can now be further stabilized,” added Merz.

France’s foreign ministry, in a statement, also welcomed the ceasefire announcement as the “consequences of [violence]would be catastrophic for the entire region.”

France “Reiterates that only a diplomatic solution can provide a lasting response to the security challenges posed by Iran’s nuclear program. Iran must never possess nuclear weapons.”

Dick Schoof, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, said the “announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel is a positive step to prevent further escalation in the region,” adding that “Iran must never become a nuclear weapon state.”

It is “important” that Iran returns to the negotiation table now, Schoof added, “as negotiations are the only path to a sustainable solution and stability in the region.”

Within hours of the ceasefire announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday evening (Tuesday morning in Israel), an Iranian rocket landed in Beersheba, killing four people, and several other projectiles were launched at Israel’s north shortly thereafter.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said this was a violation of the ceasefire Trump had announced and urged the parties to observe. Katz ordered the Israel Air Force to strike “regime targets” in Tehran in response, he tweeted.

U.S. President Donald Trump, on his Truth Social platform, ordered Israel to hold its fire, warning that if it bombed Iran, this would be a “major violation.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry in its statement on Tuesday cast the U.S. and Israel as the aggressors in the war and called to “halt the escalation,” but didn’t directly acknowledge the declaration of a ceasefire.

American and Israeli attacks “against Iran have resulted in a sharp deterioration in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. This constitutes an exceptionally dangerous erosion of global and regional security. We reiterate our call to halt escalation,” the Russian foreign ministry’s statement read.

Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said following the ceasefire announcement that Iran is assessing damage to its nuclear industry and arrangements had been made for its restoration, according to the state-run Mehr news agency.

“The plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services,” Eslami said.

Canaan Lidor of JNS contributed to this report.