WASHINGTON (BN24) — Iranian officials signaled Tuesday that the country’s military would cease offensive operations against Israel, appearing to endorse a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump to end what he has termed the “12-day war.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement that Tehran would halt military activity if Israel also stopped its attacks. The message, issued just hours after Trump’s surprise announcement of a ceasefire agreement, marked the first indication from Iran’s leadership that it would comply — though no formal agreement has yet been released.
President Trump had taken to social media shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday to declare that both Iran and Israel had agreed to a complete halt in hostilities. “This war could have gone on for years and destroyed the entire Middle East,” Trump wrote. “I congratulate both nations.” He urged both sides not to violate the terms of the truce.
Despite the ceasefire announcement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched additional strikes overnight on Iranian military targets, including missile launchers in western Tehran. Iran’s state news agency IRNA confirmed that loud explosions were heard in multiple neighborhoods of the capital. The IDF also ordered evacuations in at least two districts of Tehran before the attacks began.
Israeli government officials did not immediately respond to Trump’s ceasefire announcement or to reports of the overnight strikes. “Israel is currently considering its next steps,” said a senior Israeli security official speaking on background. The country’s Homefront Command kept emergency protocols in place Tuesday, urging civilians to remain near bomb shelters and avoid large gatherings. Schools across Israel remained closed as a precaution.
In a separate statement issued Tuesday morning, the Israeli government said it had agreed to Trump’s ceasefire proposal and claimed success in achieving its military goals. “Israel thanks President Trump and the United States for their steadfast support and for their role in removing the Iranian nuclear threat,” the statement read. It also warned that any violations of the ceasefire would be met with a swift and forceful response.
While the ceasefire appeared to be holding on the surface, both countries accused each other of aggression in the hours after it was supposed to take effect. Early Tuesday, rocket sirens sounded in parts of northern Israel, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Meanwhile, Israel’s targeted airstrikes in Tehran signaled that Jerusalem is keeping its military options open despite the diplomatic breakthrough.
The situation remains particularly fragile in the wake of Iran’s ballistic missile attack Monday on al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command and home to roughly 10,000 American troops. President Trump downplayed the strike as a “very weak response” to the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. He confirmed that there were no American casualties.
While Trump celebrated the ceasefire as a major diplomatic win, it remains unclear how long the halt in hostilities will last. The White House has not released details of the agreement, and there is no known formal mechanism to enforce the truce. Still, Trump’s intervention has, at least temporarily, paused what had become the most intense military confrontation between Israel and Iran in decades.
With nearly 1,000 reported deaths in Iran and dozens more in Israel, the ceasefire may offer a reprieve to exhausted civilians — though neither government has stepped back from its core strategic aims. Both sides continue to claim victory, and observers warn that the underlying tensions that sparked the war remain unresolved.
For now, though, the region watches with cautious hope — and the world waits to see whether the Trump-brokered peace will hold.
