US President Donald Trump has announced that a “complete and total ceasefire” between Iran and Israel was set to take effect early Tuesday, roughly six hours after his statement on Truth Social. However, as the deadline passed, conflicting reports and continued missile attacks cast doubt on whether the ceasefire has truly taken hold.
In his social media post made at 18:00 local time in Washington, Trump claimed: “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!).”
Despite this declaration, neither Iran nor Israel has formally confirmed the ceasefire. Iran has stated that it would cease hostilities if Israel halted its attacks, but Israel has yet to respond publicly. Meanwhile, fresh missile strikes have been reported.
Israeli authorities reported that Iran launched a fresh wave of missile attacks on Israeli territory late Monday, resulting in at least three deaths. Emergency services are responding to multiple impacted sites.
Earlier in the day, Iranian capital Tehran endured a barrage of missiles, reportedly causing panic among civilians. “I feel traumatised,” one resident told our correspondent.
Iranian state broadcaster IRINN announced that a ceasefire had been “imposed” on Israel following what it described as a “successful” Iranian missile strike on a US military base in Qatar on Monday. The strike was in retaliation for an earlier Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Qatari officials confirmed that all incoming Iranian missiles were intercepted and no damage was reported at the US base.
In a televised statement, Iranian state media claimed Trump had “begged” for a ceasefire following the strike on US interests. The announcement praised the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Army for their “resistance” and accused the US of capitulating under pressure.
As of now, the situation remains fluid and volatile. While Trump has declared a ceasefire is in place, the continued exchange of missile fire and lack of official confirmation from either Tehran or Tel Aviv suggest that the path to de-escalation is still uncertain. (BBC)