WASHINGTON/DOHA/ISTANBUL – U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed on Monday a total ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially concluding the 12-day conflict that prompted mass exodus from Tehran and raised concerns of further escalation in the war-affected region.
Israel, supported by the United States over the weekend, has executed strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, after accusing Tehran of nearing the acquisition of a nuclear weapon.
“Assuming that all proceeds as it should, which it will, I would like to commend both Countries, Israel and Iran, for displaying the Endurance, Bravery, and Wisdom to conclude what ought to be referred to as, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR’,” Trump expressed on his Truth Social platform.
There was no immediate reaction from Israel. While an Iranian representative confirmed earlier that Tehran had consented to a ceasefire, the foreign minister stated that hostilities would not cease unless Israel halted its assaults.
Abbas Araqchi mentioned early on Tuesday that if Israel ceased its “unlawful aggression” against the Iranian populace by 4 a.m. Tehran time (0030 GMT) on Tuesday, Iran had no intention of persisting with its retaliation afterward.
No Israeli strikes on Iran have been reported since that moment.
“The ultimate decision regarding the termination of our military operations will be determined later,” Araqchi added in a message on X.
A senior White House official indicated that Trump facilitated the agreement during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israel had consented as long as Iran refrained from initiating further assaults.
Trump seemed to suggest that Israel and Iran would have some time to finalize any ongoing missions, after which the ceasefire would commence in a phased manner.
Iran denies possessing a nuclear weapons program, but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has stated that should it desire to, world leaders “wouldn’t be able to halt us”.
Israel, which is not a participant in the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, is the sole nation in the Middle East believed to possess nuclear weapons. Israel does not confirm or deny this.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran’s consent during a conversation with Iranian officials, as revealed by an official briefed on the negotiations to Reuters on Tuesday.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff were in both direct and indirect communication with the Iranians, stated the White House official.
Neither Iran’s U.N. mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate inquiries from Reuters.
Hours prior, three Israeli officials indicated that Israel was seeking to conclude its operations in Iran soon and had conveyed this message to the United States.
Netanyahu advised government ministers whose discussions ended early on Tuesday not to speak publicly, according to Israel’s Channel 12 television report.
Markets reacted positively to the announcement.
S&P 500 futures gained 0.4% late on Monday, indicating traders expect the U.S. stock market to open with increases on Tuesday.
U.S. crude futures dipped during early Asian trading hours on Tuesday to their lowest point in over a week following Trump’s declaration of an agreed ceasefire, alleviating worries regarding supply disruption in the area.
END TO THE CONFLICT?
Calm does not seem to have been established yet in the area.
The Israeli military issued two evacuation alerts in under two hours to residents of regions within the Iranian capital Tehran, one late on Monday and another early on Tuesday.
Israeli Army radio reported early on Tuesday that alarms were triggered in the southern Golan Heights region due to concerns of hostile aircraft incursion.
Earlier on Monday, Trump indicated he would encourage Israel to move towards peace following his dismissal of Iran’s attack on an American air base that resulted in no injuries, while also thanking Tehran for the prior notice of the strikes.
Iran’s management of the attack echoed previous confrontations with the United States and Israel, as Tehran aimed to balance maintaining its dignity through a military response without instigating an unavoidable cycle of escalation.
Tehran seems to have accomplished this aim.
Iran’s assault followed U.S. bombers dropping 30,000-pound bunker-buster munitions on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend, coinciding with Israel’s aerial campaign.
Much of Tehran’s 10 million residents have fled following days of bombardment.
The Trump administration asserts that its objective was solely to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, not to instigate a broader conflict.
“Iran was very near to acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Vice President JD Vance stated during an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
“Now Iran is incapable of constructing a nuclear weapon with the resources they possess because we obliterated it,” Vance remarked.
However, in a social media update on Sunday, Trump alluded to overthrowing the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington’s primary adversaries in the Middle East since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Israel, nonetheless, made it apparent that its airstrikes on Evin prison – known for housing political prisoners – and other locations in Tehran aimed to impact the Iranian ruling structure broadly and its capability to maintain governance. — Reuters
