It has been a dramatic few hours in the Israel-Iran war, withretaliatory attacks from Iran on the largest US military facility in the Middle East, and claims from US presidentDonald Trumpthat a ceasefire has been agreed.
Here is the latest:
US president Donald Trump hasannouncedin a social media postthat Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire.“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 wrote on his platform, Truth Social. “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” Trump later told NBC the ceasefire was “unlimited” and would last “forever”.
Trump brokered the ceasefire through talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday while his team, including vice-president JD Vance, held talks with Tehran, a senior White House official told Reuters. The official, providing details of the ceasefire on condition of anonymity, said Israel agreed to it so long as Iran does not launch fresh attacks. Iran signalled that no further attacks would take place, the official said.
After the ceasefire was announcement by Trump, Israel’s Defence Forces issued an evacuation warning for several parts of the Iranian capital, ahead of a planned Israeli strike. On social media, some users reported massive explosions in Tehran, which they said was the most intense since Israel first started bombing Iran 12 days ago.
Iran’s foreign minister seemed to suggest that a cessation of hostilities had begun in a post on social media, saying Iran’s military attacked Israel“until the very last minute, at 4am.”Earlier he said that if Israeli strikes ceased at 12.30GMT Iran had “no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
Israel is yet to officially confirm the ceasefire.
According to a report from Reuters news agency, Qatar played a role in helping to broker the deal behind the scenes.Qatar’s prime minister reportedly secured Iran’s agreement in a call with Tehran, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
Trump’s proclaimed ceasefire comes after Iran announced it hadlaunched a missile attack on a US basein the Gulf state of Qatar, at the Al Udeid Air Base,in what it said was retaliation for US participation in Israel’s bombing campaign against Iranthe day before.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said that “Qatar’s air defences successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles” and there had been no casualties.Iran reportedly provided advance warning of the attack.
Trump at the weekend launched anunprecedented attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. Codenamed ‘Midnight Hammer,’ the attack deployed American B-2 bombers, and so-called bunker buster bombs.
Trump was quick to claim that US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had“completely and totally obliterated”them. Still, it remains unclear how much physical damage has been done or what the longer-term impact might be on Iran’s nuclear programme.
US bombing probably caused “very significant” damage to the underground areas of Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment plant dug into a mountain, though no one can yet tell the extent, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.“Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme(ly) vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Grossi said in a statement.
The comments follow a meeting by the national security committee ofIran’s parliament, which approved the general outline of a bill meant to fully suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. According to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the IAEA would be suspended as long as the security of nuclear facilities is not guaranteed.
An unidentified drone targeted an army radar at Iraq’s Taji military base north of Baghdad, the Iraqi state news agency reported early on Tuesday, citing a military official, as picked up by Reuters.
There were no casualties, the commander of Baghdad’s operations said.
In 2020, the US-led international coalition troops withdrew from the base and handed it over to Iraqi security forces. The base had historically held up to 2,000 coalition members.
The base, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, had been the site of frequent rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias targeting US-led troops months before the withdrawal.
It has been a dramatic few hours in the Israel-Iran war, withretaliatory attacks from Iran on the largest US military facility in the Middle East, and claims from US presidentDonald Trumpthat a ceasefire has been agreed.
Here is the latest:
US president Donald Trump hasannouncedin a social media postthat Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire.“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 wrote on his platform, Truth Social. “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” Trump later told NBC the ceasefire was “unlimited” and would last “forever”.
Trump brokered the ceasefire through talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday while his team, including vice-president JD Vance, held talks with Tehran, a senior White House official told Reuters. The official, providing details of the ceasefire on condition of anonymity, said Israel agreed to it so long as Iran does not launch fresh attacks. Iran signalled that no further attacks would take place, the official said.
After the ceasefire was announcement by Trump, Israel’s Defence Forces issued an evacuation warning for several parts of the Iranian capital, ahead of a planned Israeli strike. On social media, some users reported massive explosions in Tehran, which they said was the most intense since Israel first started bombing Iran 12 days ago.
Iran’s foreign minister seemed to suggest that a cessation of hostilities had begun in a post on social media, saying Iran’s military attacked Israel“until the very last minute, at 4am.”Earlier he said that if Israeli strikes ceased at 12.30GMT Iran had “no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
Israel is yet to officially confirm the ceasefire.
According to a report from Reuters news agency, Qatar played a role in helping to broker the deal behind the scenes.Qatar’s prime minister reportedly secured Iran’s agreement in a call with Tehran, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
Trump’s proclaimed ceasefire comes after Iran announced it hadlaunched a missile attack on a US basein the Gulf state of Qatar, at the Al Udeid Air Base,in what it said was retaliation for US participation in Israel’s bombing campaign against Iranthe day before.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said that “Qatar’s air defences successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles” and there had been no casualties.Iran reportedly provided advance warning of the attack.
Trump at the weekend launched anunprecedented attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. Codenamed ‘Midnight Hammer,’ the attack deployed American B-2 bombers, and so-called bunker buster bombs.
Trump was quick to claim that US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had“completely and totally obliterated”them. Still, it remains unclear how much physical damage has been done or what the longer-term impact might be on Iran’s nuclear programme.
US bombing probably caused “very significant” damage to the underground areas of Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment plant dug into a mountain, though no one can yet tell the extent, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.“Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme(ly) vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Grossi said in a statement.
The comments follow a meeting by the national security committee ofIran’s parliament, which approved the general outline of a bill meant to fully suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. According to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the IAEA would be suspended as long as the security of nuclear facilities is not guaranteed.