On Monday evening, President Donald Trump took to social media to announce that Israel and Iran had reached a ceasefire. This development heralded a hopeful end to nearly two intense weeks of escalating air assaults between the two nations.
Trump detailed that the agreement entailed two separate 12-hour ceasefire periods, commencing at approximately 12 a.m. EDT with Iran initiating the halt. He specified that this would take place “when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their ongoing, final missions,” as expressed in his post on Truth Social.
In a splendid display of diplomatic resolution, Trump declared that the war would be officially concluded in 24 hours. Assuming all proceeds smoothly, which indeed it shall, he extended his congratulations to both nations, Israel and Iran, for demonstrating the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to bring an end to what shall be known as ‘THE 12 DAY WAR,’ as he passionately penned in his announcement.
In the wake of this proclamation, there was a profound silence from both Israeli and Iranian officials, as they abstained from any immediate public comment on the proposal.
As the clock ticked down to the ceasefire, which was to come into force as outlined by Trump, tensions escalated when Israel reported an Iranian missile barrage that tragically claimed at least three lives. Prior to this, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, took to social media to refute the existence of a ceasefire agreement. However, he acknowledged that if Israel ceased its offensive by 4 a.m. Tehran time (8:30 p.m. EDT), “we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
Araghchi conveyed that a definitive conclusion on halting military action would be determined soon, expressing gratitude to the Iranian armed forces who valiantly “responded to any attack by the enemy until the very last minute.”
In a move that took many by surprise, Trump’s ceasefire announcement arrived a mere two days after the United States entered the conflict alongside Israel, executing strategic strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The conflict had ignited on June 12, when Israel unleashed a coordinated series of offensives against Iran, targeting military installations and crucial aspects of the country’s nuclear ambitions. Defending these actions as ‘preemptive,’ Israel pointed to intelligence reports asserting that Iran had made significant advancements towards acquiring a nuclear weapon, allegations that Iran firmly denied.
Earlier on Monday, tensions escalated further as Iran launched missiles towards Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military stronghold in the region, sparking fears of a broader conflict. Yet, with swift assistance from Qatar, the U.S. successfully intercepted the threat, though Trump criticized the response as ‘very weak,’ opting for a more conciliatory approach in his social media statements. A source later described Iran’s offensive as an unsuccessful attempt at retaliation.