US President Donald Trump declared a “complete and total” ceasefire between Iran and Israel on Tuesday in a social media post. The announcement came after Iran’s limited attack on US military base in Qatar on Monday. Calling it an “official end” to the war, Trump congratulated both countries and wrote, “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR.”

Trump said that this “war” could have continued for years which could have led to destruction of the Middle East. “This is a war that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!” Trump wrote in his social media post.

There were no immediate official confirmations from either Iran or Israel, but reactions have started to pour in.

What we know so far about the ‘Ceasefire’

• Around 8:00 pm local time in Qatar, Iran carried out attacks aimed at a US base there. No injuries were reported.
• A few hours later, US President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire and would stop all attacks within 24 hours.
• Despite this claim, BBC has reported that fighting is still going on between Iran and Israel, and there have been reports of explosions in Tehran.
• Iran’s foreign minister said Iran would stop firing if Israel ended its attacks by 4:00 am local time. It is now past 4:30 am in Tehran.

What does Iran have to say about the ceasefire?

Shortly after Trump’s ceasefire announcement, Iran’s Supreme leader Khamenei took to X and wrote, “Those who know the Iranian people and their history know that the Iranian nation isn’t a nation that surrenders.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran is not planning to continue its military response if Israel halts its actions immediately. He said that Iran had set a deadline for Israel to stop its operations by 4 am Tehran time, which has now passed.

Aragachi stressed that it was Israel that initiated the conflict, not Iran. While no ceasefire deal has been agreed upon yet, Araghchi indicated that Iran is open to pausing its military actions if Israel ends what Tehran describes as unlawful attacks on its people. He also noted that a final decision on whether to fully end military operations would be taken later.

As per CBS, Senior Iranian officials have confirmed that Tehran has agreed to the ceasefire.

Israel’s position on the “ceasefire”

A CNN report citing a senior White House official has said that Israel has agreed to the ceasefire deal only if Iran stopped attacking its territory.

The report further said that during talks, Trump personally spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the same time, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff handled discussions with Iranian officials, using both direct and indirect communication.

The White House believes the agreement was made possible after the US carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday. Trump reportedly also spoke to Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, thanking him for helping with ceasefire negotiations.

The report also mentioned that Trump later returned to the West Wing, where a Marine guard was stationed. Earlier, he had gone back to his residence shortly after 6 pm. An official said Trump is now making phone calls and is not likely to make any public appearances for the rest of Monday.

What does Iranian media say?

Citing an “informed source”, Iran’s Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has said that Trump’s announcement is “completely false”.

Two major Iranian news outlets, namely Tehran Times and Mehr News Agency, have strongly denied Trump’s claim of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, also calling it false.

The Tehran Times ran a headline saying, “Iran has not agreed to a ceasefire. Trump is lying again.” The report accused Trump of spreading false information to create confusion inside Iran and to pressure its leaders into backing down under unfair conditions.

At the same time, Mehr News Agency published a headline that read, “Liar Trump speaks of ceasefire between Iran, Israeli regime.” The article noted that Israeli forces were still carrying out attacks on Iran, which goes against the idea that a ceasefire is in place.