Iran-Israel War: Latest Developments
Title: Iran-Israel War: Latest Developments
Content: The American President Donald Trump announced on Monday a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel in two phases, which has not been formally confirmed by the parties involved. Tehran stated shortly after on Tuesday that there was no agreement "at this stage" but did not intend to continue its strikes if Israel halted its attacks.
On Monday evening, Tehran fired missiles at the largest U.S. military base in the region, located in Qatar. A fresh series of powerful explosions shook the Iranian capital from Monday night to Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Iraq reported on Tuesday drone strikes targeting air defense radars at two military bases near Baghdad and in southern Iraq, without being able to identify the attackers.
Donald Trump Announces a Ceasefire
"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire," Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
According to his message, the ceasefire is set to take effect on Tuesday at 04:00 GMT and will unfold over 24 hours in two phases, with Iran initially halting all operations before Israel does the same 12 hours later.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by stating that there is "no formal agreement" at this point, but Tehran has "no intention" of continuing its strikes if Israel "stops" its aggression.
As of now, Israel has not officially confirmed this announcement, which comes after successive waves of reciprocal strikes.
"At the 24th hour, the official end of the 12-day war will be recognized by the world," Trump declared, adding that both parties had agreed to be "peaceful and respectful" during each phase of the process.
A few hours after the American president's message but before 00:30 GMT, a series of explosions rocked Tehran, the most intense since the start of the war against Israel on June 13.
Iran targets a U.S. military base in Qatar after warning the United States
"In response to the aggressive and insolent action of the United States," the Iranian armed forces struck on Monday "the Al-Udeid American airbase in Qatar," announced the National Security Council of the Islamic Republic.
It specified that the number of missiles launched "was the same as the number of bombs" used by the U.S. Air Force against Iranian nuclear facilities that weekend, implying that it was a proportionate response.
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran's ideological army, claimed that six missiles had "hit" the American base.
Not only did Qatar reveal that the base had been evacuated beforehand and that the missiles were intercepted, but President Trump also "thanked Iran for warning us in time, which allowed us to avoid loss of life and injuries."
The unpredictable Republican billionaire described the Iranian response as "very weak," which the U.S. countered "very effectively."
Iran is "ready to respond again" in case of a new American attack, said its foreign minister.
"Unprecedented" Strikes
Earlier on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that his army was "striking Tehran with unprecedented force."
It targeted the Evine prison, where political prisoners, opponents, and French couple Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, imprisoned for three years, are held.
They "would not have been harmed," according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who condemned the strike as "unacceptable."
The Iranian judiciary confirmed damage to the penitentiary facility.
Israel also stated it had targeted "the headquarters of the Internal Security of the Revolutionary Guards and the headquarters of the Basij," a volunteer militia.
And it bombed once again the Fordo nuclear site, buried under a mountain south of Tehran, to "block its access routes."
The Israeli army has urged residents of Tehran to "stay away" from military and security infrastructures, in a message published in Persian on X, indicating that it will "continue its attacks" against such targets.
Strikes on Iraq
Before dawn on Tuesday, drone strikes targeted the radars of two military bases near Baghdad and in southern Iraq, reported Iraqi security officials, unable to identify the attackers.
The first attack targeted the Taji base, north of Baghdad, and the second the Imam Ali airbase in the south of the country.
These attacks have not been immediately claimed, with a source close to the Iranian-allied armed groups denying any involvement to AFP.
Concerns Over Hormuz
Beijing, which imports Iranian oil, has warned of the war's impact on the global economy and international trade in the Gulf.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has "encouraged" China to deter Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime route through which a fifth of the world's oil production passes.
About 84% of the oil passing through this route, off Iran, is destined for China, India, South Korea, and Japan.
IAEA Wants Access to Iranian Nuclear Sites
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has demanded access to nuclear facilities to establish what has happened to the stock of enriched uranium near the threshold for atomic bomb design.
He revealed that Tehran had informed him on June 13, the day of the Israeli attack, that it had implemented "special measures to protect equipment and nuclear material."
