Trump Announces That Iran and Israel Have Agreed to a Ceasefire
Donald Trump announced on Monday that Iran and Israel, who have been at war since June 13, have agreed to a ceasefire that is expected to lead to the "official end" of the conflict, in which the United States has directly intervened by bombing Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, responded by stating that there was "no agreement" at this stage, but Tehran had "no intention" to continue its strikes if Israel "stops" its aggression.
Israel has not yet officially confirmed this announcement, which comes after successive waves of mutual strikes, with Israel's declared aim being the destruction of Tehran's nuclear facilities, which it accuses of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons—a claim Iran denies.
"It has been fully agreed between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire," the American president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
According to this message, the ceasefire is expected to take effect on Tuesday at 04:00 GMT and will occur in two phases over 24 hours, with Iran initially halting all its operations before Israel does the same 12 hours later.
However, Mr. Araghchi conditioned Iran's ceasefire on an immediate halt of strikes by Israel, demanding that "the Israeli regime stop its illegal aggression against the Iranian people by 04:00 in the morning, Tehran time," which corresponds to 00:30 GMT.
Any cessation of hostilities would represent a significant relief for international leaders fearing an escalation of the conflict.
"At the 24th hour, the official end of the 12-day war will be welcomed by the world," declared Donald Trump, adding that both parties agreed to be "peaceful and respectful" at each stage of the process.
A few hours after the American president's message but before 00:30 GMT, a series of explosions rattled Tehran, according to AFP journalists on the ground. These were among the most violent in the capital since the war began.
Trump's announcement came shortly after Iran launched missiles at the U.S. military base in Al-Udeid, Qatar, in retaliation for American raids conducted on Saturday night, American time, targeting three Iranian nuclear sites.
This was described as a "very weak" response by Donald Trump, who also took the opportunity to "thank Iran" for "warning" the United States "in time, which prevented loss of life and injuries."
The Iranian National Security Council described its attack as a "response to the aggressive action" of the United States. Iran used as many missiles "as the number of bombs" used in the American raids, signaling a calibrated response, according to the same source.
Qatar reported intercepting the Iranian fire.
Mark, a 29-year-old American visiting the country, told AFP he saw the missile strikes. "Then the military base's rockets came and destroyed the missiles... It gave me chills."
In Iraq, a drone strike targeted a military base north of Baghdad overnight from Monday to Tuesday, causing no injuries, according to Iraqi officials who could not identify the perpetrators. A similar incident occurred in the south.
Donald Trump had boasted on Sunday of inflicting "monumental damage" to the Fordo uranium enrichment site south of Tehran and to the nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz (central).
According to Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group, the Iranian retaliation following the American raids "was calibrated and announced in a way that would not result in American casualties, thus allowing for an exit from the crisis for both parties."
Iran's state television showed live footage of jubilant protesters in Tehran chanting "Death to America."
On Monday, command centers of the Revolutionary Guards (the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran) as well as the Evin prison were targeted by Israel.
The Iranian judiciary reported damage in certain parts of the prison, where Westerners, political prisoners, and opponents are held.
According to French diplomacy, the two French nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained there for over three years, "would not have been harmed."
Israel also stated that it had conducted strikes to "block access routes" to the Fordo site, buried under a mountain.
In Iran, the war has resulted in over 400 deaths and 3,056 injuries, mostly among civilians, according to official figures. Iranian strikes on Israel have claimed 24 lives, according to authorities.
Since June 13, Israel has bombed hundreds of military and nuclear sites, killing the highest-ranking officials in the country as well as nuclear scientists.
Iran, retaliating with missile and drone strikes towards Israel, denies wanting to manufacture atomic weapons and defends its right to a civilian nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has deemed it impossible at this stage to assess the damage, calling for access to Iranian sites.
Experts believe that Iran may have evacuated nuclear material, and Tehran has claimed to still possess stocks of enriched uranium.
However, the IAEA has stated that it has found no evidence of a "systematic" program to manufacture an atomic bomb so far.
© Agence France-Presse
