Iran’s foreign minister signalled on Tuesday that Tehran was ready to halt its military operations against Israel provided that Israeli strikes also ceased, as a phased ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump got underway.
Abbas Araghchi suggested that Iran had already stopped its offensive at 4am Tehran time (0030 GMT), and called for Israel to reciprocate with an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Trump, announcing the ceasefire on his Truth Social platform, outlined a 24-hour staged process beginning at around 0400 GMT on Tuesday. Under the plan, Iran would halt all military operations first, followed by Israel 12 hours later.
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump declared. “Upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-day war will be saluted by the world,” he added, saying both sides had committed to remain “peaceful and respectful” throughout the process.
An end to hostilities would mark a major relief for world leaders concerned about the potential for the conflict to ignite a broader regional war. However, Israel had not immediately confirmed its agreement to end the fighting, which has so far claimed hundreds of lives in Iran and killed 24 people in Israel.
Explosions continued to shake Tehran overnight, with powerful blasts reported in the north and centre of the capital, among the strongest since the conflict began.
Posting on social media, Araghchi stated: “The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4am. As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on ceasefire or cessation of military operations. However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
The latest confrontation was triggered when Israel launched surprise “preemptive” strikes against Iranian nuclear and military sites on 13 June. The ensuing exchanges saw missiles traded between the two nations, with Trump warning of the risk of a “massive” regional conflict.
The US-brokered ceasefire announcement followed hours after Iran fired missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military facility in the Middle East—a strike that Trump downplayed as “very weak.”
Trump said Iran had notified the United States in advance of the attack, while Iran’s National Security Council confirmed the strike, describing it as a measured response to previous US assaults on Iranian nuclear sites.
“The number of missiles launched was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used,” the council noted, indicating the intention to match but not escalate the confrontation.
“This was calibrated and telegraphed in a way that would not result in any American casualties, so that there is an off-ramp for both sides,” Ali Vaez, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.
The US had earlier joined Israel’s unprovoked campaign by bombing Iran’s underground uranium enrichment facility with massive bunker-buster bombs and striking two additional nuclear sites between Saturday and Sunday.
With fears growing of the conflict spiralling into a wider war, French President Emmanuel Macron appealed for calm, insisting that “the spiral of chaos must end,” while China warned of serious economic repercussions.
Though Iran insisted its missile barrage against Al Udeid was not directed at Qatar itself, Doha condemned the attack as “blatant aggression” and asserted its right to respond proportionately. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed that six missiles had struck the base, which Qatar said had been evacuated beforehand.
A US defence official said the attack involved both short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. Residents in Doha and Lusail heard blasts and witnessed projectiles streaking across the sky on Monday evening.
Images broadcast by Iranian state television showed crowds gathering in central Tehran to celebrate, waving Iranian flags. In response to the escalation, Qatar temporarily closed its airspace, while the US embassy and other diplomatic missions advised citizens to remain indoors.
According to Iran’s health ministry, Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 people in Iran since the fighting began. In contrast, Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel have resulted in 24 fatalities, according to official Israeli figures.
