Washington (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran is now in effect, urging both sides to refrain from breaking it, as hopes for an end to the 12-day conflict grew despite reports of ongoing deadly attacks in both governments.
Trump’s announcement came after a significant increase in tensions since Sunday, when the US carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, leading Iran to respond by launching missiles at a US base in Iraq on Monday.
Noting on Truth Social earlier, Trump said:
“THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”
His announcement followed Iran’s launch of a new missile barrage, which killed four people, according to Israel’s ambulance service. Meanwhile, Iranian authorities reported that nine people were killed in an attack in northern Iran on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Trump announced a so-called complete ceasefire to bring an end to the war, indicating that Israel and Iran would have time to finish ongoing missions before the ceasefire would take effect in a staged process.
On Tuesday morning, witnesses reported hearing explosions near Tel Aviv and Beersheba in southern Israel. Tehran fired its last round of missiles before the ceasefire took hold. Israel’s military stated that Iran launched six waves of missiles, while Israel’s national ambulance service confirmed that four people died in Beersheba.
What did Netanyahu say about Israel’s ceasefire agreement?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel has agreed to President Trump’s ceasefire proposal. According to his office, Netanyahu said Israel has successfully achieved its goal of eliminating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile threats. However, he also warned that Israel will respond forcefully to any breaches.
Will Iran halt attacks if Israel stops its strikes?
Earlier, an Iranian official confirmed that Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire, but the country’s foreign minister stated that there would be no break in hostilities unless Israel halted its attacks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated early on Tuesday that if Israel ceased its “illegal aggression” against the Iranian people, no later than 4 a.m. Tehran time (0030 GMT) on Tuesday, Tehran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards.
“The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later,”
Araqchi also said in a post on X.
