Israel, Iran agree to ceasefire after 12-day conflict, says Trump

KABUL (Pajhwok): US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after 12 days of hostilities, though Iran’s foreign minister cautioned that Tehran would not fully halt its military response unless Israel stopped what it called “illegal aggression” against its people, media reports said on Tuesday.

The fighting escalated when Israel, joined by the United States over the weekend, launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, accusing Tehran of nearing the development of a nuclear weapon.

“Assuming everything proceeds as expected—and it will—I would like to congratulate both countries, Israel and Iran, for having the stamina, courage, and intelligence to end what should be called ‘THE 12 DAY WAR,’” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Earlier, an Iranian official confirmed Tehran’s willingness to observe a ceasefire. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that no cessation of hostilities would occur unless Israel halted its attacks, Reuters reported.

On Monday night, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that in response to recent US attacks on Iran, it had launched a missile strike targeting the US military base at Al Udeid in Qatar.

At a United Nations Security Council meeting, the UN Secretary-General described the US strike on Iran as a ‘dangerous escalation’ in the region and urged the Council to take immediate action to halt the conflict.

Russia strongly condemned the US attack, calling it a violation of the UN Charter, while the United States defended it as a ‘necessary response to an imminent threat from Iran.

Speaking early Tuesday, Araqchi said Iran would cease its military response if Israel ended its “illegal aggression” against the Iranian people by 4 a.m. Tehran time (0030 GMT). No Israeli attacks have been reported since that deadline.

In a post on his X, Araqchi wrote: “As of now, there is NO “agreement” on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”

“The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later,” Araqchi added.

A senior White House official said President Trump brokered the ceasefire deal in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel reportedly agreed to halt further action as long as Iran refrained from launching new attacks.

Trump also hinted that both sides would be allowed to complete any ongoing military operations before the ceasefire takes full effect, which would be implemented in stages.

While Iran has consistently denied pursuing nuclear weapons, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently said that if the country ever chose to develop them, “world leaders wouldn’t be able to stop us.”

Israel, which is not a signatory to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, although it maintains a policy of ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying their existence.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, reportedly helped mediate the agreement with Tehran in a phone call, according to a source briefed on the negotiations.

US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were also engaged in direct and indirect communications with Iranian officials, a White House official said.

On Monday, Trump appeared to downplay Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on a US airbase, which caused no injuries.

He thanked Iran for what he described as “early notice” of the attack and called the response “very weak, which we expected and have very effectively countered.”

Observers note that Iran’s restrained retaliation is consistent with its past strategy—aiming to demonstrate strength without triggering a wider conflict it cannot afford.

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