By Ted Regencia

    The ceasefire between Israel and Iran, announced by Donald Trump, appears to be holding, after the US president lambasted Israeli violations.

    White House refutes intelligence reports that say US bombings of Iran’s nuclear sites did not completely destroy the facilities and only set the programme back by a few months.

    Both Israel and Iran have claimed victory in the 12-day war, with Iranians holding celebrations in Tehran and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming a triumph that will stand for generations.

    Iran says at least 610 people, including 13 children, have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13. In Israel, at least 28 people have been killed in Iranian strikes.

    Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,077 people and wounded 131,848, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks and more than 200 taken captive.

    US government postpones briefings for Congress on Iran

    The Trump administration has postponed classified briefings about Iran for members of the Senate and the House as lawmakers continue to question the legality of the US’s attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

    The Associated Press news agency, citing multiple informed sources, reported that the Senate briefing has been rescheduled for Thursday so that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio can attend. Speaker Mike Johnson said the House briefing has been pushed back to Friday.

    Democrats slammed the delay.

    Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said it is “outrageous” that the administration postponed the briefings.

    “There is a legal obligation for the administration to inform Congress about precisely what is happening,” Schumer said. “What are they afraid of? Why won’t they engage Congress in the critical details?”

    Congressman Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic caucus, meanwhile, said that legislators “need evidence, we need details and we need to know them now”.

    UN’s atomic watchdog does not know fate of Iran’s enriched uranium

    Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has told Fox News that the nuclear watchdog does not have “information on the whereabouts” of some 400kg (880 pounds) of uranium that Iran has enriched to 60 percent purity.

    Grossi said Iranian officials had told him they would be taking protective measures, “which may or may not include moving around this material”.

    “There is a question there: Where is this?” he said. “So, the way to asserting that is to allow the inspection activity to resume as soon as possible. And I think this would be for the benefit of all.”

    The IAEA chief also said the US strikes on the three Iranian nuclear facilities caused “an important degree of damage”, particularly at Natanz and Isfahan.

    Grossi’s comments come as politicians and commentators in Iran call on the country to abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, saying cooperation with the IAEA has offered no protection from attacks on what they say is a peaceful nuclear programme.

    Seven Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting: Military

    Israel’s military has released the names of six soldiers who were killed in Gaza, and is withholding the name of a seventh soldier until his family has been notified of his death.

    The seven were all killed on Tuesday in Gaza, according to the military, and ranged in age from 19 to 21 years old.

    Those identified were all members of Israel’s 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.

    An eighth soldier from the same unit was also severely wounded on Tuesday night in Gaza and has been medically evacuated to Israel, the military said.

    BRICS bloc slams Israel, US military strikes against Iran

    The BRICS group of countries – a bloc of emerging economies that includes Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Russia – has expressed “grave concern” over the recent Israeli and US strikes against Iran, describing them as a “violation of international law” and the UN Charter.

    In a statement issued after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect, the BRICS group criticised the attacks on Iran’s “peaceful nuclear installations”, which it said were carried out in violation of international law and regulations of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

    The bloc urged the warring parties to return to diplomacy, “with a view to de-escalating the situation and resolving their differences through peaceful means”.

    BRICS, which also includes Iran and the UAE, said there is a “need to break the cycle of violence and restore peace” through dialogue.

    Battle of the ‘victory’ narratives continues between Israel, Iran: Analyst

    Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East studies programme at George Washington University, said Israel has claimed victory over Iran, but Tehran has also claimed victory over Israel.

    Amid these competing narratives, Azodi sensed that many in Israel were unhappy with “how the war evolved”.

    “They’ve gone after Iranian military infrastructure, decapitation of their senior military command, some of the nuclear facilities and other government institutions. They can also claim that Iran’s missile programme has been weakened because Iran has used many of its missiles, and it will be difficult for Iranians to replace them,” Azodi told Al Jazeera.

    “Iranians can also claim victory by suggesting that the region’s most powerful country in terms of military power – the only country that has nuclear weapons in the region – has been forced to seek a ceasefire with Iranians,” Azodi said.

    “Clearly, the Israelis have not been able to achieve their objectives in destroying the Iranian nuclear programme or forcing Iran to capitulate. So I don’t think the prime minister in the long-term… he may have achieved and can claim some short-term victory, but in the long-term, I don’t think his leadership serves Israel’s interests.”