Trump Claims Israel and Iran Agreed to 'Complete' Ceasefire

Donald Trump has claimed that Israel and Iran have reached an agreement to end their two-week war, which has killed hundreds in tit-for-tat attacks by Israeli jets and Iranian ballistic missiles.

The ceasefire was scheduled to begin early Tuesday morning Iran time, with Iran first ceasing its attacks and Israel following suit in the following hours.

However, the exact timing of the truce remained unclear, and Israeli officials provided no immediate confirmation while fighting continued into Tuesday morning.

Iran launched four salvos of ballistic missiles at Israel early Tuesday, with at least one of the missiles striking a residential building in Beer Sheva, killing three people and injuring eight more, according to emergency services.

The launches occurred after 4 a.m. Tehran time, when Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the strikes would cease if Israel ceased bombings. Israel launched some of its most powerful airstrikes on Tehran overnight, according to residents.

Fighting frequently escalates in the run-up to ceasefire deadlines, but the lack of official comments made it unclear what the ongoing strikes would imply for a truce.

Trump expressed hope that the ceasefire would bring the "12-Day War" to a conclusion.

"CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!" Trump posted on the Truth Social site. "It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE."

Hours before, it was claimed that three Israeli officials had indicated that Israel intended to conclude its assault on Iran soon and had communicated this to the United States. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel was "very, very close to completing" its goals.

Iranian state television reported that a ceasefire was being "imposed on the enemy."

An Iranian social media user in Tehran stated that Israeli strikes on the capital city were "intense" before the proclaimed ceasefire.

"The shelling in Tehran tonight was powerful. For an hour, the explosions didn't stop. The user wrote, "We are completely defenceless people."

The cease-fire announcement came after the United States joined Israel's assault by hitting Iranian uranium enrichment facilities early Sunday morning, provoking Iran to conduct a coordinated retaliation strike against a US airfield in Qatar on Monday. Trump had described the Iranian attack as a "very weak response" and stated that he would resume efforts to broker a settlement between Israel and Iran.

In a previous online post, Trump congratulated Iran for "giving us early notice" of a missile bombardment against the US airbase in Qatar, claiming that no Americans had been killed or injured in the attack.

His comments implied that Iran's response was deliberately planned to give Tehran and Washington an out after the US supported Israeli raids on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities to damage Iran's nuclear program before it could manufacture a bomb.

Trump advisers privately expressed their belief that Iran will accept the US president's olive branch to avert further Israeli strikes and to inflict symbolic reprisal.

The ceasefire statement appeared to be an attempt to reinterpret the success criteria for the US operation targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, as it remained unclear whether the deeply hidden Fordow site had been destroyed.

In a social media post, Trump claimed that the Iranian sites had been "destroyed."

However, the UN's nuclear chief, Rafael Grossi, stated: "At this time, no one, including the [International Atomic Energy Agency], is in a position to assess the underground damage at Fordow."

Trump advisers attempted to argue that it didn't matter if Fordow was destroyed since Iran had been compelled to negotiate - even though this would contradict what Trump stated over the weekend.

However, the actual damage to the nuclear facilities remains a significant topic ahead of potential discussions between the US and Iran, which are expected to be overseen by Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as it will alter Witkoff's negotiating power.

However, the UN's nuclear chief, Rafael Grossi, stated: "At this time, no one, including the [International Atomic Energy Agency], is in a position to assess the underground damage at Fordow."

Trump advisers attempted to argue that it didn't matter if Fordow was destroyed since Iran had been compelled to negotiate, even though this would contradict what Trump stated over the weekend.

According to Trump, 13 of Iran's 14 missiles were shot down, while one was permitted to hit its target because it was "headed in a non-threatening direction".

Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said in a statement broadcast on the X social media site while the missiles were in the air: "We neither initiated nor sought the war." But we will not allow violence against the great Iran to go unanswered.

The Iranian armed forces claimed the bombardment was not aimed at Qatar, which they described as a "friendly and brotherly" regime.

Over the first 11 days of its attacks on Iran, Netanyahu's governing coalition denied that regime change was a declared war goal, while the prime minister stated that it would be a good consequence and urged Iran's people to rise against the regime in Tehran. On Monday, however, members of his cabinet publicly advocated for the fall of Iran's theocratic government.

Gila Gamaliel, a key member of Netanyahu's Likud party, wrote on X, according to a translation by Haaretz newspaper: "As long as the Nazi ayatollah regime sits in Tehran, it has the potential to rebuild its destructive capabilities."

Iran's court recognized the damage to Evin, but through its mouthpiece, the Mizan news agency stated: "The situation in the prison is under control and all means have been used to manage the prison complex."

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, based in Washington, stated that "many families of current detainees have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones held inside the prison."

The dictatorship not only uses Evin to imprison Iranian dissidents but also foreigners and dual nationalities who have been detained in recent years to serve as hostages and negotiating chips.