By Aamir Latif
ANKARA / KARACHI (AA) - Japan Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement of a "complete" ceasefire taking effect between Israel and Iran, expressing "strong hope" that it will be firmly implemented, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.
Tokyo will continue to monitor how the situation unfolds in the Middle East with high interest and make "all diplomatic efforts possible" to ensure peace and stability there, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
"We will continue to monitor further developments with high interest," Hayashi told reporters, saying that de-escalating the situation quickly is "of utmost importance."
Trump on Monday announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a "complete and total" ceasefire amid the rising conflict in the Middle East.
Iran launched a barrage of missiles at the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions following the US targeting of three Iranian nuclear sites Sunday.
The US attacks were the latest escalation in a US-backed Israeli military assault on Iran since June 13, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel.
Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.
Meanwhile, in Iran, at least 430 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.