Closing summary
We’ve shut this blog now and are continuing our live coverage on a fresh blog here. Below is a summary of the latest developments, and our full story with all the key lines can be found here. Thanks for reading.
The shaky truce between Iran and Israel appeared to hold, with both sides saying they would honour the ceasefire if the other side did the same. Earlier on Tuesday Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would respect the ceasefire announced by Trump, provided that Israel also upholds its terms. “If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” he said. Hours later, Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz said he told his US counterpart Pete Hegseth that “Israel will respect the ceasefire — as long as the other side does”.
An initial classified US assessment of Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend says they did not destroy two of the sites and likely only set back the nuclear program by a few months, according to two people familiar with the report. The report produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency – the intelligence arm of the Pentagon – concluded key components of the nuclear program, including centrifuges, were capable of being restarted within months. The report also found that much of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be put to use for a possible nuclear weapon was moved before the strikes and may have been moved to other secret nuclear sites maintained by Iran. The findings suggest Trump’s declaration about the sites being “obliterated” may be overstated. Read our story here.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would strike again if Iran rebuilds its nuclear project. Describing his war on Iran as a “historic victory” that “will stand for generations”, the Israeli PM claimed that Israel in its 12 days of war with Iran had removed “the threat of nuclear annihilation”. He said on he had “no intention of easing off the gas pedal” and Israel “must complete” its campaign against the Iranian axis, to defeat Hamas and to bring about the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu also declared that Israel “never had a better friend that President Trump in the White House”. His comments came only hours after Trump directed stinging criticism at Israel over the scale of strikes Trump said violated the truce with Iran negotiated by Washington, with the US president saying: “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.” Israel’s leadership was reportedly “stunned” and “embarrassed” by Trump’s harsh rebuke.
Iranian state news reported that Iran’s air space would reopen on Tuesday night, while Israel Home Front Command said Israeli citizens could resume full activity without restriction for most of the country and Ben-Gurion and Haifa airports would return to full operations.
Donald Trump said China can continue to purchase Iranian oil, a move the White House clarified did not indicate a relaxation of US sanctions.
At the United Nations, France and its European partners are still prepared to reactivate sanctions on Iran if an agreement is not reached soon on its nuclear program, the French ambassador to the UN has warned.
Updated
Donald Trump’s startling outburst at Iran and Israel capped a drama-filled 24 hours for Trump, the US, the Middle East and the world. As both sides defied his ceasefire, the US president lashed out, his anger and frustration clearly visible as he swore on live television.
Trump later called Israel’s prime minister to demand he stop bombing Iran.
With the fragile ceasefire seeming to hold, there was some unwelcome news via a report from the Pentagon which said the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were not quite as successful as Trump had claimed.
That and much more is in our freshly launched daily wrap of key Trump stories:
Updated
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok produced inaccurate and contradictory responses when users sought to fact-check the Israel-Iran conflict, a study has said, raising fresh doubts about its reliability as a debunking tool.
Agence France-Presse reports that with tech platforms reducing their reliance on human fact-checkers, users are increasingly utilising AI-powered chatbots – including xAI’s Grok – in search of reliable information, but their responses are often prone to misinformation.
“The investigation into Grok’s performance during the first days of the Israel-Iran conflict exposes significant flaws and limitations in the AI chatbot’s ability to provide accurate, reliable and consistent information during times of crisis,” said the study from the digital forensic research lab (DFRLab) of the Atlantic Council, an American thinktank.
Grok demonstrated that it struggles with verifying already-confirmed facts, analysing fake visuals and avoiding unsubstantiated claims.
The DFRLab analysed about 130,000 posts in various languages on the platform X, where the AI assistant is built in, to find that Grok was “struggling to authenticate AI-generated media”.
Following Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel, Grok offered vastly different responses to similar prompts about an AI-generated video of a destroyed airport that amassed millions of views on X, the study found. It oscillated – sometimes within the same minute – between denying the airport’s destruction and confirming it had been damaged by strikes, the study said.
In some responses, Grok cited the a missile launched by Yemeni rebels as the source of the damage. In others, it wrongly identified the AI-generated airport as one in Beirut, Gaza or Tehran.
Updated
Israelis have responded calmly to Donald Trump’s criticisms and accusations their country had violated a truce he brokered with Iran, expressing gratitude for his mediation and relief at the conclusion of the 12-day war.
Reuters reports that earlier on Tuesday the US president admonished Israel after waking in Washington to find the ceasefire had been violated by both sides, telling the media: “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
In Haifa, northern Israel, Daniel Kopylkov, a 27-year-old cook, said: “Honestly, I don’t care that much about what Trump said about Israel. At the end of the day, I think he’s the one that truly helped to bring an end to this war and that’s what’s important to me.”
Kopylkov was one of several people Reuters interviewed in Haifa, a target of Iranian missiles during the conflict. It is Israel’s third-largest city after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and home to Israel’s busiest seaport and a naval base.
Historian Marc Volovici, 42, said Trump’s outburst underscored Israel’s dependence on US political, military and financial support.
This was just a very small but significant demonstration of how Israel relies on international legitimacy, and especially [the] American one.
A 70-year-old resident identifying herself only as Esther said:
It’s like a parent scolding the child. He’s scolding us. But it’s not anything dramatically serious. I’m not a politician, you know, I’m just feeling it like that.
Lawyer Ephraim Glazberg, 75, expressed a similar view, saying: “I think it was the agony of the moment. I don’t think this is a problem.”
Updated
Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel “never had a better friend that President Trump in the White House” in video remarks issued by the prime minister’s office.
Netanyahu also said that in its 12 days of war with Iran, Israel had removed “the threat of nuclear annihilation”.
You can see the video here:
Updated
Oil prices sank for a second straight day and stock markets mostly rose on Tuesday as the ceasefire between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding.
Crude futures slumped in volatile trading after Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, extending Monday’s steep losses in oil after Iran’s response to the US attack did not hit energy infrastructure, Agence France-Presse reports.
“This morning’s ceasefire further reduced the perceived threat to Middle Eastern oil supply routes,” said David Morrison, analyst at Trade Nation.
The main international and US oil contracts briefly bounced off their lows as Israel and Iran accused each other of breaking the ceasefire, but then resumed their fall after Trump berated the two countries.
Prices were also brought down by Trump saying that China could continue to buy oil from Iran.
Turkey’s president hailed the Iran-Israel truce and hoped it would remain in place as he held talks with Donald Trump on the sidelines of a Nato summit late on Tuesday.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “expressed his satisfaction with the ceasefire achieved between Israel and Iran through President Trump’s efforts, hoping it would be permanent”, his office said.
It said Erdoğan also stressed that Ankara and Washington should work closely together to end the war in Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported. He “emphasised the importance of close dialogue in ending the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza as soon as possible”, as well as “peacefully resolving the Russia-Ukraine war”.
Erdogan also called for increased defence industry cooperation with the US, which he said could significantly boost trade between them.
Advancing cooperation in the defence industry would facilitate achieving the goal of a $100 billion trade volume.
Updated
Donald Trump has said China can continue to purchase Iranian oil after Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, a move the White House clarified did not indicate a relaxation of US sanctions.
“China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the U.S., also,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, just days after ordering the US bombings of three Iranian nuclear sites.
Reuters cited a senior White House official as saying the US president was drawing attention to no attempts by Iran so far to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, as a closure would have been hard for China, the world’s top importer of Iranian oil.
“The president continues to call on China and all countries to import our state-of-the-art oil rather than import Iranian oil in violation of US sanctions,” the official said.
After the ceasefire announcement, Trump’s comments on China were another bearish signal for oil prices, which fell nearly 6%.
Any relaxation of sanctions enforcement on Iran would mark a US policy shift after Trump said in February he was reimposing maximum pressure on Iran, aiming to drive its oil exports to zero, over its nuclear program and funding of militants across the Middle East.
“President Trump’s greenlight for China to keep buying Iranian oil reflects a return to lax enforcement standards,” said Scott Modell, a former CIA officer, now CEO of Rapidan Energy Group.
Updated
At the United Nations, France and its European partners are still prepared to reactivate sanctions on Iran if an agreement is not reached soon on its nuclear program, the French ambassador to the UN has warned.
“Time is running out,” Jerome Bonnnafont said at a UN security council meeting in reference to the October expiration of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
We expect Iran to return to talks without delay in order to achieve a robust, verifiable and lasting diplomatic solution.
Agence France-Presse reports Bonnafont also said on Tuesday said negotiations were the only way to “guarantee the impossibility of an Iranian military nuclear program”, days after the US conducted strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. He told the New York meeting:
France and its E3 partners [Germany and the UK] remain ready to use the leverage established by resolution 2231, that of a ‘snapback’ [of sanctions], if a satisfactory agreement is not reached by summer.
UK ambassador Barbara Wood concurred, saying: “We will use all diplomatic levers at our disposal to support a negotiated outcome and ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon.”
This is Adam Fulton picking up our live coverage
Updated
The day so far
The shaky truce between Iran and Israel appeared to hold, with both sides saying they would honour the ceasefire if the other side did the same. Earlier on Tuesday Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would respect the ceasefire announced by Trump, provided that Israel also upholds its terms. “If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” he said. Hours later, Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz said he told his US counterpart Pete Hegseth that “Israel will respect the ceasefire — as long as the other side does”.
An initial classified US assessment of Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend says they did not destroy two of the sites and likely only set back the nuclear program by a few months, according to two people familiar with the report. The report produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency – the intelligence arm of the Pentagon – concluded key components of the nuclear program, including centrifuges, were capable of being restarted within months. The report also found that much of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be put to use for a possible nuclear weapon was moved before the strikes and may have been moved to other secret nuclear sites maintained by Iran. The findings suggest Trump’s declaration about the sites being “obliterated” – and acting US envoy to the UN Dorothy Shea’s statement to the United Nations Security Council that the US strikes “effectively fulfilled our narrow objective: to degrade Iran’s capacity to produce a nuclear weapon” – may be overstated. Read our story here.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would strike again if Iran rebuilds its nuclear project. Describing his war on Iran as a “historic victory” that “will stand for generations”, the Israeli PM claimed that Israel in its 12 days of war with Iran had removed “the threat of nuclear annihilation”. He said on he had “no intention of easing off the gas pedal” and Israel “must complete” its campaign against the Iranian axis, to defeat Hamas and to bring about the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu also declared that Israel “never had a better friend that President Trump in the White House”. His comments came only hours after Trump directed stinging criticism at Israel over the scale of strikes Trump said violated the truce with Iran negotiated by Washington, with the US president saying: “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.” Israel’s leadership was reportedly “stunned” and “embarrassed” by Trump’s harsh rebuke.
Iranian state news reported that Iran’s air space would reopen on Tuesday night, while Israel Home Front Command said Israeli citizens could resume full activity without restriction for most of the country and Ben-Gurion and Haifa airports would return to full operations.
Updated
In the US, Democrats are up in arms over the cancellation of classified briefings to Congress scheduled for today, where White House officials were going to inform lawmakers about the bombing raid targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
“What are the facts that the Trump administration is trying to hide? The American people deserve to know the truth,” House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said after the briefings were canceled.
“This last-minute postponement of our briefing is outrageous. It’s evasive. It’s derelict. They’re bobbing and weaving and ducking. Senators deserve full transparency. There is a legal obligation for the administration to inform Congress about precisely what is happening,” said Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat.
It was not immediately cleared why the briefings for all members of the Senate and the House of Representatives were canceled.
On X, Republican House speaker Mike Johnson said his chamber’s briefing had been rescheduled to Friday:
I have just confirmed with the White House that the classified bipartisan briefing for all House Members will now be held on Friday. Senior Administration officials will present the latest information pertaining to the situation involving Israel and Iran.
Spokespeople for Senate majority leader John Thune did not respond to a request for comment.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it intercepted earlier this evening two drones “most likely from Iran” that were making their way towards Israel.
Israel’s Kan radio said the drones were most likely launched in the morning hours about the same time as the launch of a surface-to-surface missile from Iran.
The drones were intercepted outside of Israeli territory, the military added.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have denied earlier reports on Tuesday that there was a drone attack in the northwestern city of Tabriz, three Iranian news sites reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian media said air defences were activated in the area amid the shaky ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Trump's strikes on Iran only set back nuclear program by months, early intelligence finds
An initial classified US assessment of Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend says they did not destroy two of the sites and likely only set back the nuclear program by a few months, according to two people familiar with the report.
The report produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency – the intelligence arm of the Pentagon – and first reported by CNN, concluded key components of the nuclear program including centrifuges and enriched uranium were capable of being restarted within months.
The report also found that much of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be put to use for a possible nuclear weapon was moved before the strikes and may have been moved to other secret nuclear sites maintained by Iran.
The findings by the DIA, which were based on a preliminary battle damage assessment conducted by US central command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, suggests Trump’s declaration about the sites being “obliterated” may be overstated.
Trump had said in his televised address on Saturday night immediately after the operation that the US had completely destroyed Iran’s enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow, the facility buried deep underground, and at Esfahan, where enrichment was being stored.
“The strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” Trump said in his address from the White House.
While the DIA report was only an initial assessment, one of the people said if the intelligence on the ground was already finding within days that Fordow in particular was not destroyed, later assessments could suggest even less damage might have been inflicted.
Updated
Netanyahu declares 'historic victory' and claims Israel removed Iran's nuclear threat in 12-day war
Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel in its 12 days of war with Iran had removed “the threat of nuclear annihilation”.
“We have removed two immediate existential threats to us - the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles,” the Israeli PM claimed in video remarks issued by his office.
However, despite this and Donald Trump’s recent claim that Iran was “very close” to making a nuclear weapon when Israel launched its bombing campaign, Mark Warner, the vice-chairman of the US Senate intelligence committee, said last Wednesday that senators were briefed on Monday, after Israel’s attack, that US intelligence agencies still see no evidence that Iran was trying to make nuclear weapons.
In an interview with MSNBC, Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said that Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had testified to the Senate in March “that Iran had taken no action towards, moving towards a bomb”.
“And we got reconfirmed … Monday of this week, that the intelligence hasn’t changed,” Warner added.
Back to Netanyahu today, describing his war on Iran as a “historic victory” that “will stand for generations”, he went on to say that “no intention of easing off the gas pedal” and Israel “must complete” its campaign against Iran’s axis, to defeat Hamas and to bring about the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
We must not ease up. We must complete the campaign against the Iranian axis, defeat Hamas, and bring about the release of all the hostages, both living and dead.
Updated
US tells UN its strikes degraded Iran's capacity to build nuclear weapon
American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend “effectively fulfilled our narrow objective: to degrade Iran’s capacity to produce a nuclear weapon”, acting US envoy to the UN Dorothy Shea told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.
In her statement, Shea claimed the onus was on Tehran for not yet reaching a nuclear deal with the US, leading to the US carrying out a “precision operation” to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
But as you might remember, two weeks ago Trump told Netanyahu not to strike Iran as he still hoped to secure a nuclear deal with Tehran, and the US president only sought to associate himself with Israel’s offensive after Netanyahu – keen to divert international attention away from Gaza - ignored him and bombed Iran anyway.
What is more, while senior administration figures have insisted that the US was solely targeting the nuclear programme and Shea stresses that the American objective was “narrow”, Trump more than once mooted “regime change” in Iran before doubling back today.
The strikes, Shea went on to claim, “were in accordance with the inherent right to collective self-defense, consistent with the UN charter, [and] aimed to mitigate the threat posed by Iran to Israel, the region, and more broadly to international peace and security”.
But as professor of international relations at the London School of Economics Fawaz Gerges wrote for us on Friday:
Israel’s war on Iran is neither legal nor just … Even if Iran was making a bomb, international law doesn’t give Israel and the US the right to bomb Iran. The UN charter is clear on the use of force in international relations.
Following the Trump-brokered ceasefire, Shea said of Iran (and not Israel, as Trump did earlier today):
In this critical moment, we must all urge Iran to seize this opportunity for peace and prosperity, and to abide by its international obligations.
Updated
Iranian air defenses have been activated against drones in the northwestern city of Tabriz on Tuesday evening, according to two Iranian news sites, amid a shaky US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Reuters reports there is yet to be official confirmation from Iranian authorities, so we’ll bring you more clarity on this as we get it.
Updated
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites - CNN
An early US intelligence assessment indicated that the US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last week did not destroy the core components of Tehran’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, CNN reports, citing three people briefed on the matter.
The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon’s intelligence arm, and is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources told CNN.
The analysis of the damage to the sites and the impact of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear ambitions is ongoing, and could change as further intelligence becomes available.
But the early findings are at odds with Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, and US defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments claiming that Iran’s nuclear ambitions “have been obliterated”.
They’re also at odds with comments I reported just moments ago from Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran’s nuclear project had been “dismantled” and declaring a “historic victory”.
Two of the people familiar with the assessment said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges are largely “intact”.
“So the [DIA] assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,” one of the sources told CNN.
The White House acknowledged the existence of the assessment but said they disagreed with it. “This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong,” CNN quoted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying.
Updated
Netanyahu says Israel will strike again if Iran rebuilds its nuclear project
In further remarks made in the video address, Netanyahu said Israel would strike again if Iran rebuilds its nuclear project.
We have dismantled the Iranian nuclear project. If anyone in Iran tries to revive this project, we will work with the same determination and strength to thwart any such attempt. I repeat, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.
Updated
Israel 'never had a better friend than Trump in the White House', says Netanyahu
In video remarks issued by the prime minister’s office, Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel “never had a better friend that President Trump in the White House”.
In video remarks issued by his office, the Israeli PM said of Trump, whose US military dropped massive “bunker-buster” bombs on Iran’s underground nuclear sites in an attack over the weekend:
Our friend President Trump has rallied to our side in an unprecedented way. Under his direction, the United States military destroyed the underground enrichment site at Fordow.
He spoke hours only after Trump directed stinging criticism at Israel over the scale of strikes Trump said violated a truce with Iran negotiated by Washington.
Updated
Israelis to resume full activity without restriction for most of the country, IDF says
Israeli citizens could resume full activity without restriction for most of the country from Tuesday night, according to Israel Home Front Command.
The changes went into effect at 8pm local time Tuesday, the IDF said.
The only area of the country not under full activity without restriction is communities near Gaza. They remain subject to the IDF Southern Command’s guidelines, according to the release.
Meanwhile, the Airports Authority announced that Ben-Gurion and Haifa airports would return to full operations. Previous restrictions on the number of incoming and outgoing flights, as well as the number of passengers on each flight and the arrival of passengers and accompanying persons, were lifted.
Updated
Israel will respect ceasefire if Iran does, defense minister says
The Israeli minister of defense, Israel Katz, said he has spoken with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, to thank the US for Donald Trump’s “bold decision to act with Israel against the Iranian nuclear threat”.
In a post on X, Katz added:
I emphasized that Israel will respect the ceasefire — as long as the other side does.
Hegseth praised Israel for the “historic achievements made”, Katz said.
His comments echo those made earlier on Tuesday by Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian, who said Iran will respect the ceasefire announced by Trump, provided that Israel also upholds its terms.
“If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” Pezeshkian said during a phone conversation with Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to the presidency’s website.
Updated
Iran's air space to be reopened tonight, state news reports
Iran’s air space is to be reopened tonight, Iran’s state-affiliated Nournews is reporting, twelve days since Israel’s began its war on the country. No timings were given in the report.
Updated
Iran has not yet reopened its airspace, the Young Journalists’ Club media website reported on Tuesday, citing statements by the spokesperson for the country’s roads and urban development ministry.
The spokesperson said no decision had been made in this regard.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar 24 had said on X earlier on Tuesday evening that Iranian airspace was open to international arrivals and departures to and from Tehran with prior permission.
Israeli leadership 'stunned' and 'embarrassed' by Trump's public rebuke - NBC News
Israel’s leadership was “stunned” and “embarrassed” by Donald Trump’s harsh rebuke of both Israel and Iran this morning, a person familiar with the discussions has told NBC News, after Israel continued attacking Iran in the hours before Trump’s ceasefire took effect.
The person told NBC:
They were surprised that he went and did all that in such a public way and basically switched on them very quickly. They just ended this war on a high and then this is kind of a little ... nick.
Trump earlier swore in an angry outburst while speaking to reporters about the situation as he left the White House. “I gotta get Israel to calm down now, he said.
Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.
The person also verified to NBC News that Trump earlier held a call with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sustain the ceasefire.
A White House source provided a brief readout of the “exceptionally firm and direct” call to ABC News, which reads:
President Trump was exceptionally firm and direct with Prime Minister Netanyahu about what needed to happen to sustain the ceasefire. The Prime Minister understood the severity of the situation and the concerns President Trump expressed.
Updated
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was ready to resolve issues with the US based on international frameworks, during a phone call with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.
Pezeshkian said earlier that Tehran would not violate the ceasefire deal unless Israel does, according to Iran’s state-run Nournews.
Updated
The day so far
US president Donald Trump has said both Israel and Iran wanted to “stop the war equally” and that it was his “great honor” to destroy the latter’s nuclear capabilities. Writing on his Truth Social network, he said: “Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally! It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!”.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that Tehran would not violate the ceasefire deal unless Israel does, Iran’s state-run Nournews said. US president Donald Trump earlier announced that the ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Iran.
Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a screenshot of a message from Nato secretary general Mark Rutte on Truth Social, which congratulated him for his “decisive action” in Iran and getting all Nato allies to agree to spend at least 5% of their GDP on defence.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement will likely be a persistent problem for the United States in the future, a senior US military official said on Tuesday, even after the US and the Houthis reached an agreement last month that ended a US air campaign against the group. “The Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem... that we’ll be dealing with in the future a few times again,” Air Force lieutenant general Alexus Grynkewich, director for operations of the joint staff, told lawmakers.
The Revolutionary Guards said they had arrested a European citizen who had entered Iran as a tourist and gone to southern Hormozgan province to gather intelligence at sensitive and military sites, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported on Tuesday. It gave no details on the person’s nationality, according to Reuters.
China can continue to buy Iranian oil, Donald Trump said on Tuesday in what appeared to be relief for Tehran from sanctions Washington has previously imposed to punish the trade. “China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform as he travelled to a Nato summit in The Hague.
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that it will respect a ceasefire announced by Donald Trump, provided that Israel also upholds its terms, AFP reports. “If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” Pezeshkian said during a phone conversation with Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to the presidency’s website.
Israel’s opposition leader and the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza on Tuesday called for an end to the war in the Palestinian territory after a ceasefire was announced with Iran. “And now Gaza. It’s time to finish it there too. Bring back the hostages, end the war,” opposition leader Yair Lapid of the centre-right Yesh Atid party wrote on X.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed 25 people waiting for aid in the south of the Palestinian territory in the second such incident on Tuesday, bringing the number of aid seekers killed to 46. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 25 people were killed and dozens wounded when “Israeli forces targeted civilian gatherings near Al-Alam and Al-Shakoush areas with bullets and tank shells as they attempted to reach an aid centre in northwest Rafah, about two kilometres from a US-backed aid distribution point.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Tuesday that one of its workers had been killed in the Gaza Strip – the fifth since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. “Mahmoud Barakeh, who worked supporting logistics at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, was killed on Sunday,” the ICRC said in a statement, adding: “This heartbreaking loss is yet another stark reminder of the immense challenges our colleagues, and the people of Gaza, face each day.”
Israel destroyed a radar installation near Tehran on Tuesday in response to Iran violating the ceasefire, but refrained from further strikes after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Donald Trump, Reuters reports citing Netanyahu’s office.
Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not want to see “regime change” in Iran, which he said would lead to chaos. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to a Nato summit, Trump said Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon and that Russian president Vladimir Putin had called him and offered to help with Iran, Reuters reports.
IAG’s Iberia has cancelled its flight to Doha planned for Wednesday, a spokesperson for the airline told Reuters on Tuesday, as thousands of travellers queued for hours at the Qatari capital’s airport after the temporary closure of airspace a day earlier.
Iraqi airspace has reopened and flights are now transiting it, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 wrote on X on Tuesday. Iranian airspace is now open to international arrivals and departures to and from Tehran with prior permission, it added.
A special Australian Defence Force flight has left Tel Aviv with 119 Australians and their family members on board after they became stranded by the suspension of flights out of Israel amid its conflict with Iran. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said late on Tuesday night (AUS time) that Australian defence personnel and diplomats “have supported an Australian Defence Force assisted departure flight” out of the Israeli city.
An Iranian lawmaker said International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi should not be allowed to enter Iran.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy commission in Iran’s parliament, said cooperation with the IAEA should be suspended, the Iranian Students’ News Agency reported on Tuesday.
The same commission approved a day earlier the general outline of a bill meant to fully suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iraqi airspace has reopened and flights are now transiting it, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 wrote on X on Tuesday.
Iranian airspace is now open to international arrivals and departures to and from Tehran with prior permission, it added.
IAG’s Iberia has cancelled its flight to Doha planned for Wednesday, a spokesperson for the airline told Reuters on Tuesday, as thousands of travellers queued for hours at the Qatari capital’s airport after the temporary closure of airspace a day earlier.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement will likely be a persistent problem for the United States in the future, a senior US military official said on Tuesday, even after the US and the Houthis reached an agreement last month that ended a US air campaign against the group.
“The Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem... that we’ll be dealing with in the future a few times again,” Air Force lieutenant general Alexus Grynkewich, director for operations of the joint staff, told lawmakers.
Grynkewich has been nominated to lead the US military’s European Command.
Trump says it was his 'great honor' to 'destroy all nuclear capabilities'
US president Donald Trump has said both Israel and Iran wanted to “stop the war equally” and that it was his “great honor” to destroy the latter’s nuclear capabilities.
Writing on his Truth Social network, he said:
Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally! It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!
Updated
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that Tehran would not violate the ceasefire deal unless Israel does, Iran’s state-run Nournews said.
US president Donald Trump earlier announced that the ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Iran.
Tehran is prepared to talk and defend the rights of the Iranian people at the negotiating table, Nournews cited Pezeshkian as saying.
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Iran says to start rebuilding homes and facilities damaged in Israel strikes
Iran said on Tuesday it had begun efforts to rebuild residential areas and public infrastructure damaged in Israeli strikes over the past twelve days, AFP reports.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told state TV:
We witnessed attacks on residential areas, as well as on scientific centres, research institutes, healthcare facilities and civilians... therefore we are facing a major task ahead in terms of reconstruction.
She added that the authorities have begun to assess the extent of the damage.
China says supports Iran in achieving a 'genuine ceasefire'
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that Beijing supports Iran in achieving a “genuine ceasefire”.
In a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Wang said:
“China supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, and, on that basis, achieving a genuine ceasefire so that people can return to normal life.”
Nato's Rutte congratulates Trump on 'truly extraordinary' action over Iran
Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a screenshot of a message from Nato secretary general Mark Rutte on Truth Social, which congratulated him for his “decisive action” in Iran and getting all Nato allies to agree to spend at least 5% of their GDP on defence.
The message read:
Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer.
Nato officials confirmed the message was sent by Rutte to Trump earlier on Tuesday, as Trump headed to The Hague for a summit of Nato leaders.
Rutte continued:
You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening.
You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.
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China can continue to buy Iranian oil, Donald Trump said on Tuesday in what appeared to be relief for Tehran from sanctions Washington has previously imposed to punish the trade.
“China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform as he travelled to a Nato summit in The Hague.
China’s position as the main buyer of Iranian oil has served as a crucial lifeline for Tehran as its economy is battered by crippling international sanctions, AFP reports.
Beijing buys more than 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports, according to the analysis firm Kpler.
Israel opposition and hostage families call for end to Gaza war
Israel’s opposition leader and the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza on Tuesday called for an end to the war in the Palestinian territory after a ceasefire was announced with Iran.
“And now Gaza. It’s time to finish it there too. Bring back the hostages, end the war,” opposition leader Yair Lapid of the centre-right Yesh Atid party wrote on X.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main group representing the families of those abducted during Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, also called on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek a Gaza ceasefire.
“We call on the government to engage in urgent negotiations that will bring home all the hostages and end the war. Those who can achieve a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza,” it said in a statement.
Of the 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead, AFP reports.
Here are some images coming to us over the wires.
Iran president says will respect ceasefire if Israel does
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that it will respect a ceasefire announced by Donald Trump, provided that Israel also upholds its terms, AFP reports.
“If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” Pezeshkian said during a phone conversation with Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to the presidency’s website.
The Revolutionary Guards said they had arrested a European citizen who had entered Iran as a tourist and gone to southern Hormozgan province to gather intelligence at sensitive and military sites, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported on Tuesday.
It gave no details on the person’s nationality, according to Reuters.
Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces killed 25 more people waiting for aid
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed 25 people waiting for aid in the south of the Palestinian territory in the second such incident on Tuesday, bringing the number of aid seekers killed to 46.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 25 people were killed and dozens wounded when “Israeli forces targeted civilian gatherings near Al-Alam and Al-Shakoush areas with bullets and tank shells as they attempted to reach an aid centre in northwest Rafah, about two kilometres from a US-backed aid distribution point.”
The Israeli army did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
The following statement from the office of the Israeli prime minister was released today (Tuesday, 24 June 2025) [translated from Hebrew]:
The ceasefire was set for 07.00 this morning. At 03.00, Israel forcefully attacked in the heart of Tehran, struck regime targets and eliminated hundreds of Basij and Iranian security forces personnel.
Shortly before the ceasefire was due to take effect, Iran launched a barrage of missiles, one of which took the lives of four of our citizens in Be’er Sheva. The ceasefire took effect at 07.00.
At 07.06, Iran launched one missile at Israeli territory, and two additional missiles at 10.25. These missiles were either intercepted or fell in open areas, and caused neither casualties nor damage.
In response to Iran’s violations, the Air Force destroyed a radar installation near Tehran.
Pursuant to the conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel has refrained from additional attacks.
In the conversation, President Trump expressed his great appreciation for Israel, which achieved all of its objectives for the war, as well as his confidence in the stability of the ceasefire.
'Fragile' Israel-Iran ceasefire should get parties back at the table, EU's Kallas says
The ‘fragile’ reprieve in fighting between Israel and Iran is good news and should make all parties return to the negotiating table, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday.
In a post on X she said:
The announced reprieve in fighting between Israel and Iran is good news but remains fragile. All sides should stand by this and refrain from further violence. All further escalation must be avoided.
The EU stands in solidarity with all those affected, including Qatar last night. This is the moment to return to the negotiating table. Let this be a turning point for the whole region. I will continue to work towards this end with all sides.
Red Cross says fifth ICRC colleague killed in Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Tuesday that one of its workers had been killed in the Gaza Strip – the fifth since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
“Mahmoud Barakeh, who worked supporting logistics at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, was killed on Sunday,” the ICRC said in a statement, adding: “This heartbreaking loss is yet another stark reminder of the immense challenges our colleagues, and the people of Gaza, face each day.”
Iranian media reported on Tuesday that an Israeli strike the day before had killed a senior commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to AFP.
“The commander of Basij counterintelligence protection forces was martyred in a Zionist regime attack,” the Fars news agency said, citing a statement from the IRGC.
Israel destroyed a radar installation near Tehran on Tuesday in response to Iran violating the ceasefire, but refrained from further strikes after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Donald Trump, Reuters reports citing Netanyahu’s office.
We have more details coming to us from AFP regarding explosions heard in Iran.
The Etemad and Ham Mihan newspapers said explosions were heard and air defences were activated in Babol and Babolsar, two towns about 200 kilometres (124 miles) northeast of Tehran on the Caspian Sea.
The source of the explosions was not immediately clear.
Trump says he does not want 'regime change' in Iran
Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not want to see “regime change” in Iran, which he said would lead to chaos.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to a Nato summit, Trump said Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon and that Russian president Vladimir Putin had called him and offered to help with Iran, Reuters reports.
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Donald Trump claimed that Iran will never be able to rebuild its nuclear programme.
In a post on Truth Social he said:
IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES!
Two explosions were heard in the Iranian capital on Tuesday, the judiciary news outlet Mizan and the Shargh newspaper reported, after Donald Trump called on Israel not to bomb Iran after a ceasefire was reached early on Tuesday.
Both outlets reported that the northern city of Babolsar is being “attacked by Israel”, according to Reuters.
Israeli army radio said Israel had struck an Iranian radar site near Tehran.
A special Australian Defence Force flight has left Tel Aviv with 119 Australians and their family members on board after they became stranded by the suspension of flights out of Israel amid its conflict with Iran.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said late on Tuesday night (AUS time) that Australian defence personnel and diplomats “have supported an Australian Defence Force assisted departure flight” out of the Israeli city.
Commercial flights out of Israel have in the meantime resumed with some restrictions after a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Iran.
Photographs posted on social media by the foreign minister, Penny Wong, showed people being taken by bus to the airport.
Here is Donald Trump swearing in a visibly angry outburst at Israel and Iran (see earlier post).
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UK prime minister Keir Starmer has called for the Israel-Iran ceasefire to continue, warning that the region cannot afford further escalation.
Speaking in Amsterdam ahead of talks with the Dutch prime minister, Starmer said:
I want the ceasefire to continue, and therefore, obviously, the sooner we get back to that, the better.
Starmer said he would press the message of de-escalation with fellow leaders during the Nato summit, stressing that maintaining the ceasefire aligned with his long-standing calls for restraint.
He also revealed that he had exchanged messages with the Emir of Qatar following Sunday’s attack – an unusual disclosure pointing to the UK’s quiet diplomatic efforts to stabilise the region.
The UK is walking a delicate line amid fears of wider conflict, with Starmer seeking to position himself as a steady hand on the global stage just days after committing 5% of GDP to national security.
Donald Trump called Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asked him not to attack Iran, an Axios reporter said in a X post on Tuesday, citing an Israeli official, Reuters reports.
Netanyahu told Trump that he was unable to cancel the attack and that it was needed because Iran violated the ceasefire, the Axios reporter said.
The attack would be significantly scaled back and would not hit a large number of targets but only strike one target, according to the report.
Trump insists ceasefire is 'in effect'
Donald Trump has posted once more on his Truth Social, insisting the ceasefire is “in effect”.
Trump posted:
ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly “Plane Wave” to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
French president Emmanuel Macron has said that the situation surrounding Iran remained “volatile” despite Donald Trump’s ceasefire declaration, Reuters reports.
“The situation clearly remains volatile and unstable,” Macron told reporters during a visit to Norway. “I think it’s a very good thing that President Trump is calling for a ceasefire.”
AFP reports that Macron also said that “one of the main risks for the region and the international community” was that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium covertly.
“This risk has indeed increased with what has happened recently,” Macron told reporters, adding that “we must absolutely prevent Iran from going down this path”.
Updated
Trump swears in angry outburst at Iran and Israel
Donald Trump said that Israel has to “calm down” after he said both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire he tried to broker.
“I gotta get Israel to calm down now,” Trump said as he left the White House, Reuters reports.
“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen.
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
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Iran said on Tuesday that at least 610 people had been killed and over 4,700 wounded since the start of the war with Israel on 13 June, AFP reports.
“Over the past 12 days, hospitals... have been confronted with extremely harrowing scenes,” health ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on X, announcing the increase from the previously reported toll of more than 400 dead and 3,056 wounded.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It has been an eventful few hours in the Middle East, with both sides of the Iran-Israel conflict accusing the other of breaching the ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.
Below is a summary of the latest events that have unfolded:
US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire he announced hours earlier and he was not happy with either country but especially Israel. Speaking to reporters before leaving for the Nato summit in The Hague, Trump said Israel “unloaded” right after agreeing to the deal.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said he has ordered the country’s military to respond forcefully to what he said was Iran’s violation of a ceasefire with Israel. The directive followed an announcement by the military that it had detected missile launches from Iran towards Israel 2.5 hours after the start of the ceasefire brokered by US president Donald Trump, which he said came into effect in a post on Truth Social at 06:08 GMT.
Katz’s comments came after the Israeli government confirmed reports that it agreed to a ceasefire proposal brokered by the US, after almost two weeks of direct military conflict with Iran. The statement noted Israel achieved all of the operation’s objectives, removing “dual immediate existential threat from itself – both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields”.
Iran denied it launched missiles at Israel in the “last few hours”, after Israel accused it of doing so after US president Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire. The general staff of the Iranian army “denied the launch of missiles from Iran to the occupied territories (Israel) in the last few hours”.
Iran also accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire. The spokesperson of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters said Israel struck Iran in three stages up until 9am local time (05:30 GMT) on Tuesday. Iranian state TV earlier said a ceasefire would take place in Iran from 7:30am local time on Tuesday, with the country’s armed forces accusing Israel of launching strikes after this time.
The number of people killed by Israeli fire while waiting for aid trucks in central Gaza has risen to 25, according to Palestinian witnesses and hospitals. The military said it was reviewing reports of casualties from Israeli fire after a group of people approached troops in an area adjunct to the east-west Netzarim corridor, which bisects Gaza.
The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the “weaponisation” of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organisation. Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing that “desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food”.
Shortly after stating that Israel and Iran had both violated the ceasefire agreement he brokered, Donald Trump warned Israel not to drop further bombs on Iran.
He said in a post on Truth Social:
ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Trump says both Israel and Iran violated ceasefire
US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire he announced hours earlier and he was not happy with either country but especially Israel, Reuters reports.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for the Nato summit in The Hague, Trump said Israel “unloaded” right after agreeing to the deal.
Regarding Iran, Trump said the country’s nuclear capacities are gone and it would never rebuild its nuclear programme.
Updated
Iran’s prison authority has “transferred” prisoners out of Evin prison after it was hit by Israeli strikes, the judiciary said on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The prison authority “transferred the inmates who were serving their sentences in this prison (Evin) to other facilities within Tehran province... to safeguard the rights of the prisoners and to provide space for emergency response teams”, the judiciary’s Mizan online website said.
Local media reported the process had been completed, but it was not clear how many prisoners were transferred.
It comes as judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said parts of the administrative building of the prison had been damaged by Monday’s strike.
The French foreign ministry called on Iran to engage immediately in negotiations for an accord over its nuclear and ballistic programme, Reuters reports.
The ministry said in a statement:
France urges Iran to engage without delay in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns related to its nuclear and ballistic programs and its destabilizing activities.
France also said it welcomed US president Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Qatar’s prime minister on Tuesday said Iran’s missile strikes targeting the US base on Qatari soil were an “unacceptable” attack on the country, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told reporters:
The attack on the State of Qatar is an unacceptable act, especially that the State of Qatar has been making great diplomatic efforts in order to have the situation deescalated.
Reuters reports that the Qatari prime minister said Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian expressed regret in a phone call with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani that Tehran’s target in retaliation for US strikes was a military base in Qatar.
Here are some photos coming to us through the wires of Iranian strikes on Beersheba in southern Israel on Tuesday:
Iran accuses Israel of conducting strikes after ceasefire
Israel struck Iran in three stages up until 9am local time (05:30 GMT) on Tuesday, the spokesperson of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters said, according to state TV, Reuters reports.
Iranian state TV earlier said a ceasefire would take place in Iran from 7:30am local time on Tuesday, with the country’s armed forces accusing Israel of launching strikes after this time.
Iran’s supreme national security council, its top security body, earlier said its armed forces were prepared to “decisively respond” to renewed attacks.
Updated
Iran denies launch of missiles after ceasefire
Iran on Tuesday denied it launched missiles at Israel in the “last few hours”, after Israel accused it of doing so following US president Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The general staff of the Iranian army “denied the launch of missiles from Iran to the occupied territories (Israel) in the last few hours”, state television reported.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz had earlier said Israel would “respond forcefully to Iran’s violation of the ceasefire” after the military reported incoming Iranian missiles.
Updated
Parts of the administrative building of Evin prison in the Iranian capital were damaged in Monday’s Israeli strike, judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said on Tuesday on state TV, adding people had been killed and injured, according to Reuters.
Jahangir said:
Following the damage, some administrative and judicial coworkers … as well as inmates and members of their family were injured.
We had martyrs as well but the number is not yet defined.
Deaths of those waiting for aid in Gaza Strip rises to 25
The Associated Press (AP) reports that the number of people killed by Israeli fire while waiting for aid trucks in central Gaza has risen to 25, according to Palestinian witnesses and hospitals (see 7:25 BST post).
The military said it was reviewing reports of casualties from Israeli fire after a group of people approached troops in an area adjunct to the east-west Netzarim corridor, which bisects Gaza.
The Awda hospital in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, which received the victims, said the Palestinians were waiting for the trucks on the Salah al-Din road south of Wadi Gaza.
Witnesses told the AP that Israeli forces opened fire as people were advancing eastward to be close to the approaching trucks.
“It was a massacre,” said Ahmed Halawa. He said tanks and drones fired at people, “even as we were fleeing. Many people were either martyred or wounded.”
Hossam Abu Shahada, another witness, said drones were flying over the area, watching the crowds first, then there was gunfire from tanks and drones as people were moving eastward.
He described a “chaotic and bloody” scene as people were attempting to escape.
He said he saw at least three people lying on the ground motionless and many others wounded as he fled the site.
The Awda hospital said another 146 Palestinians were wounded. Among them were 62 in critical condition, who were transferred to other hospitals in central Gaza, it said.
In the central town of Deir al-Balah, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital said it received the bodies of six people who were killed in the same incident.
The military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner.
Updated
Here is a video of sirens being heard in the north of Israel over Haifa after the Israeli military reported that two missiles were fired from Iran mid-morning on Tuesday.
The missiles were launched 2.5 hours after the start of the ceasefire, the army said.
An Israeli military official said the missiles had been intercepted. In response, Israel said it would ‘respond forcefully’ to the ceasefire violation and is expected to attack Tehran.
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Tuesday a recently established, US-backed system for aid distribution in the Gaza Strip was “an abomination”, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Philippe Lazzarini said at a press conference in Berlin:
The newly created so-called aid mechanism is an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people. It is a death trap costing more lives than it saves.
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UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday that he had written to Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi to propose a meeting and urged cooperation after a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced.
Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a post on X that Iran resuming cooperation with the agency could lead to a “diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy over Tehran’s nuclear program”.
'Weaponisation' of food in Gaza constitutes a war crime, UN says
The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the “weaponisation” of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organisation, Reuters reports.
Referring to a series of deadly shootings near distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing:
Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food.
The weaponisation of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed 21 people waiting for aid near a distribution site in the centre of the Palestinian territory on Tuesday. About 150 people were reported wounded.
News about a missile attack by Iran on Israel after the ceasefire between the two countries took effect is “denied”, Iranian media reported through Reuters, quoting state TV.
Israeli military said earlier it detected missile launches from Iran to which Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said Israel would respond “forcefully”.
Katz said the military had now been instructed to carry out high-intensity operations against targets in Tehran.
Qatar summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday after Iran attacked the major US military base on Qatari soil after American strikes hit its nuclear facilities, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The foreign ministry expressed its “strong condemnation” of the attack and repeated that it “retains the right to respond to this egregious violation”, a statement said.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Iran’s deputy foreign minister thanked Qatar on Tuesday for its “constructive role” in preventing regional escalation, according to Iran’s Young Journalist Club.
The minister, Majid Takhtravanchi, gave the message in a phone call with Qatari Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, the report added.
Takhtravanchi said:
Iran is determined to continue and strengthen relations between the two countries based on good neighbourliness and supreme interests.
The Israeli military reported two missiles fired from Iran mid-morning on Tuesday, leading sirens to blare in the north several hours after US president Trump announced a ceasefire plan, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The army initially said it had identified missiles launched from Iran 2.5 hours after the start of the ceasefire.
“Two missiles were launched from Iran and they were intercepted,” a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity, with the army saying people could leave shelters about 15 minuutes after the first alert.
Israel will 'respond forcefully' to Iran ceasefire violation
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday he has ordered the country’s military to respond forcefully to what he said was Iran’s violation of a ceasefire with Israel, Reuters reports.
The directive followed an announcement by the military that it had detected missile launches from Iran towards Israel.
The Israeli military said it was working to shoot down Iranian missiles after detecting the launch.
Less than three hours earlier, US president Donald Trump had said that the ceasefire was now in effect.
Katz said the military had now been instructed to carry out high-intensity operations against targets in Tehran.
He said:
In light of Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire declared by the President of the United States – through the launch of missiles toward Israel – and in accordance with the Israeli government’s policy to respond forcefully to any breach, I have instructed the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) … to continue high-intensity operations targeting regime assets and terror infrastructure in Tehran.
Updated
Iran is assessing damage to its nuclear industry and arrangements had been made for its restoration, Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Tuesday according to Mehr news, Reuters reports.
The comments came after a series of Israeli and US strikes targeted Iran’s main nuclear facilities.
Eslami said:
The plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services.
Updated
The Israeli military warned on Tuesday that “danger persists” despite the government earlier announcing it had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran on the 12th day of war between the foes, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Army spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said in a televised press conference:
The Chief of Staff instructed all of the army to maintain a high level of alertness and preparedness for a powerful response to any violation of the ceasefire.
I want to stress that at this stage there is no change to the Home Front command instructions. The instructions must be obeyed. The danger persists.
Israeli military detects another Iranian barrage hours after ceasefire begins
Israel’s military says it had detected another Iranian barrage of missiles hours after the start of the ceasefire, showing how dangerous the situation remained, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
The army says it has identified missiles launched from Iran 2.5 hours after the start of the ceasefire.
Sirens sounded in northern Israel and explosions could be heard as Israeli air defenses fired.
The Israeli government had said it would respond “forcefully” to any violation of the ceasefire.
It comes after Iran launched several salvoes of ballistic missiles at Israel early on Tuesday, damaging at least three densely packed residential buildings in Beersheba.
First responders said they retrieved five bodies from one building after the earlier strikes and were searching for more. At least 20 people were injured.
Updated
China does not want tensions between Israel and Iran to escalate and is willing to work with the international community to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference China is calling on all parties concerned to return to political settlement at an early date.
The remarks came after Donald Trump said on Tuesday a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was now in place.
Iranian state television said on Tuesday an overnight Israeli strike killed a nuclear scientist in northern Iran, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The strike reportedly took place before US president Donald Trump said a ceasefire was in effect between the Middle Eastern foes.
Citing sources, the broadcaster reported the killing of Mohammad Reza Seddighi Saber at his parents’ residence in Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh in northern Iran.
Mohammad Reza Seddighi Saber was under US sanctions. Several days ago, his 17-year-old son was reported killed in a strike on their home in Tehran, the broadcaster said.
Israel’s opposition leader on Tuesday called for an end to the more than 20-month war with Hamas in Gaza, after Israel announced it had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran.
Yair Lapid wrote on X:
And now Gaza. It’s time to finish it there too. Bring back the hostages, end the war. Israel needs to start rebuilding.
An update on the Iranian strikes in Beersheba earlier on Tuesday has raised the number of confirmed deaths from the strikes to five, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
Iran’s barrage damaged at least three densely packed residential buildings in the city, police said.
First responders said they retrieved five bodies from one building and were searching for more. At least 20 people were injured.
Outside, the shells of burned out cars littered the streets. Broken glass and rubble covered the area. Hundreds of emergency workers gathered to search for anyone else trapped in the buildings.
Police said some people were injured even while inside their apartments’ reinforced safe rooms, which are meant to withstand rockets and shrapnel but not direct hits from ballistic missiles.
The direct hit in the largest city in southern Israel came before Trump said the ceasefire had gone into effect.
The former US ambassador to Iraq, James Jeffrey, has said that the ceasefire proposal between Israel and Iran is moving in a “very positive direction”, despite earlier confusion.
Jeffrey told Al Jazeera:
Over the past 50 years … I’ve seen a dozen ceasefires. They’re all messy.
Not all the troops get the orders … The timelines are [often] wrong.”
This confusion is normal confusion, but it’s clear that it’s moving in a very, very positive direction given what the Iranian foreign minister has said [on halting attacks if Israel does].
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he welcomes Donald Trump’s call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict, adding that its success would be a “very positive development”
Merz also thanked Qatar for its composure in what he described as “dramatic” times.
The comments come after Qatar’s prime minister reportedly secured Iran’s agreement to the US ceasefire proposal in call with Tehran, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
The German chancellor said in a post on X:
We will discuss with our American and European partners on the sidelines of today’s NATO summit in The Hague how the situation can now be further stabilized.
Israel confirms agreement to ceasefire proposal
The Israeli government has confirmed reports that it agreed to a ceasefire proposal brokered by the US, after almost two weeks of direct military conflict with Iran.
The statement read:
Israel thanks President Trump and the United States for their support in defense and their participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat.
In light of achieving the objectives of the operation, and in full coordination with President Trump, Israel has agreed to the president’s proposal for a bilateral cease-fire.
The statement noted Israel achieved all of the operation’s objectives, removing “dual immediate existential threat from itself – both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields.”
Israel would respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire, the government added.
It said:
In Operation Rising Lion, the State of Israel achieved great historical achievements and placed itself on a par with the world powers.
This is a tremendous success for the people of Israel and its fighters who removed the two existential threats to our state, and ensured the eternity of Israel.
Updated
21 people killed in Gaza Strip while waiting for aid
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed 21 people waiting for aid near a distribution site in the centre of the Palestinian territory on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Basal told AFP that 21 people were killed and about 150 wounded “as a result of the Israeli occupation forces’ targeting of gatherings of citizens waiting for aid … in the central Gaza Strip with bullets and tank shells” in the early hours of Tuesday.
AFP has contacted the Israeli military for comment.
Updated
The IDF said that it has destroyed missile launchers in western Iran that were aimed towards Israeli territory.
The military said in a post on X:
Air Force aircraft attacked in recent hours in western Iran, destroying missile launchers that were ready to be launched as part of the barrage launched towards Israeli territory.
Hungarian police have ordered increased surveillance at major transport hubs, including Budapest airport, due to the war between Israel and Iran, prime minister Viktor Orbán said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Orbán wrote:
The public is urged to report any unusual activities or extraordinary events to the police.
Updated
Global shares rallied and the dollar extended declines on Tuesday as a ceasefire to end a 12-day war between Iran and Israel came into effect, while oil prices dived to nearly two-week lows on easing concerns about supply disruptions, Reuters reports.
Most of the moves came after US president Donald Trump announced late on Monday that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. A few hours later, Trump said the ceasefire was now in effect and urged both countries not to violate it.
Nine people were killed early on Tuesday in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in the northern Iranian province of Gilan, deputy provincial governor told Tasnim news agency.
Updated
In an indication of how baffling it has been, even former US officials have struggled to understand what is going on.
Former US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, writes on X.
Very confusing! Does Israel have 12 more hours to strike based on his first announcement? Or are they supposed to be in ceasefire now? Even after the deaths in Beersheva and Iran’s barrage after the deadline? No one knows! PRECISION IN WAR AND PEACE MATTERS.”
Updated
Trump’s first post about the ceasefire left some room for ambiguity.
He said that Iran would start the ceasefire for a 12-hr period, which would be followed by Israel. Then he said:
“Upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World,” he wrote.
President Trump says ceasefire 'now in effect'
President Trump has again taken to his social media platform, Truth Social, to proclaim that the ceasefire is live.
“THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT,” he wrote, “PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!”
There has been much confusion in the past few hours about the timing and terms of the ceasefire.
Updated
A new update from Israel’s emergency services, Magen David Adom, which is now reporting that 4 Israelis were killed in Iranian strikes this morning.
Following the missile fire towards Israel:
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) June 24, 2025
As of 07:45, at the southern Israel site:
4 fatalities
2 moderately injured
20 minor injuries and anxiety.
MDA teams are continuing search and rescue operations.
Updates to follow pic.twitter.com/u5FJPWoveu
Interim summary
It’s been a confusing few hours amid a lack of clarity about the state of a ceasefire announced by US president Trump.
If you are just getting up to speed, here is a handy summary of what we know, and don’t know, so far.
US president Donald Trump has announced in a social media post that Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire. “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR,” Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social. “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” Trump later told NBC the ceasefire was “unlimited” and would last “forever”.
Trump brokered the ceasefire through talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday while his team, including vice-president JD Vance, held talks with Tehran, a senior White House official told Reuters. The official, providing details of the ceasefire on condition of anonymity, said Israel agreed to it so long as Iran does not launch fresh attacks.
After the ceasefire was announcement by Trump, Israel’s Defence Forces issued an evacuation warning for several parts of the Iranian capital, ahead of a planned Israeli strike. On social media, some users reported massive explosions in Tehran, which they said was the most intense since Israel first started bombing Iran 12 days ago.
Iran launched several salvoes of ballistic missiles at Israel early on Tuesday, with at least one of the missiles directly hitting a residential building in Be’er Sheva, killing three and wounding eight more, emergency services said.
The launches came after 4am Tehran time, the time that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said it would end its attacks if Israel stopped its bombings. Earlier he said that if Israeli strikes ceased Iran had “no intention to continue our response afterwards”. At 4.30am GMT Iranian state media announced that a ceasefire was now in effect.
Qatar’s prime minister reportedly secured Iran’s agreement to the US ceasefire proposal in call with Tehran, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
Trump’s declaration comes after Iran announced it had launched a missile attack on a US base in the Gulf state of Qatar, in what it said was retaliation for US participation in Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran the day before.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said that “Qatar’s air defences successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles” and there had been no casualties. Iran reportedly provided advance warning of the attack.
Trump at the weekend launched an unprecedented attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. Codenamed ‘midnight Hammer,’ the attack deployed American B-2 bombers, and so-called bunker buster bombs.
Trump was quick to claim that US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had “completely and totally obliterated” them, it remains unclear how much physical damage has been done or what the longer-term impact might be on Iran’s nuclear programme.
US bombing probably caused “very significant” damage to the underground areas of Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment plant dug into a mountain, though no one can yet tell the extent, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday. “Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Grossi said in a statement.
The comments follow a meeting by the national security committee of Iran’s parliament, which approved the general outline of a bill meant to fully suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. According to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the IAEA would be suspended as long as the security of nuclear facilities is not guaranteed.
Deadline Trump announced for Iran to begin ceasing fire against Israel passes
Iranian state television reported on Tuesday that a ceasefire had begun in its war with Israel, even as Israel warned the public of a new missile barrage launched from Iran, the Associated Press reports.
It wasn’t immediately possible to reconcile the messages from Iran and Israel on the 12th day of their war. Iranian state television announced the ceasefire in a graphic on screen, not immediately acknowledging the new missile barrage coming after the deadline set by President Donald Trump in his earlier ceasefire announcement.
A series of Iranian barrages before the ceasefire deadline killed three people and injured at least eight others in Israel, rescuers said.
Iran’s Press TV says that a ceasefire has begun following four waves of Iranian attacks on Israeli-occupied territories, Reuters reports.
However, there is still a great deal of confusion about the timing of the ceasefire that Trump announced, and the extent to which Israel and Iran have agreed to it.
Updated
Images are emerging of the damage in Israel caused by Iranian strikes.
Emergency personnel work at an impacted residential site.
It now appears that Iran has launched a sixth consecutive barrage of missiles at Israel.
The IDF has said that “missiles were launched from Iran towards Israeli territory a short time ago. Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat”.
Updated
Even as Israel reports fresh missile launches from Iran, Donald Trump has posted again on social media, saying the ceasefire “deal” could not have been made without “the talent and courage of our great B-2 pilots”.
He suggested their “hit” had “brought everyone together” in a “certain and very ironic way”. It was unclear exactly what he meant. The post on his Truth Social platform read:
We couldn’t have made today’s “deal” without the talent and courage of our great B-2 pilots, and all of those associated with that operation. In a certain and very ironic way, that perfect “hit,” late in the evening, brought everyone together, and the deal was made!!!
The Israeli military says it has identified more missile launches from Iran – that would make it the fifth wave of missiles to target Israel this morning.
Times of Israel correspondent Emanuel Fabian has posted footage showing the moment the Iranian ballistic missile hit an apartment building in Beersheba:
Footage posted to social media shows the moment of the Iranian ballistic missile strike on an apartment building in Beersheba this morning. pic.twitter.com/rTsmwe4cN7
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 24, 2025
Israelis awake to consecutive missile warnings amid Iranian strikes
As dawn broke in Israel and Iran, confusion reigned as to whether the two countries were still at war. Israelis, who fell asleep to the news that a ceasefire had been agreed to, woke up to four consecutive missile warnings, heading back and forth to the shelters as a missile hit a residential building in Be’er Sheva, killing three, according to the Israel fire and rescue centre.
Iran experienced some of its most intense Israeli bombings yet overnight, with one social media users in Tehran writing “the bombardment tonight in Tehran was extremely intense. For a full hour the explosions wouldn’t stop. We are a completely defenseless people.”
It was unclear whether the attacks were simply growing pains of a ceasefire, or if hostilities were to continue. US President Donald Trump had announced the ceasefire a little after midnight on Tuesday, but neither Israeli nor Iranian officials have said they agreed to it.
The timetable of the ceasefire was also vague. According to Trump’s announcement via social media, Iran was to stop firing on Tuesday morning, and then 6 hours later Israel was to stop firing on Iran and then 24 hours later, the war would be officially declared over.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Aragchi said there was “no agreement on any ceasefire” in a post on X, but said that if Israel stopped bombing Israel by 4 am Tehran time, that it would also cease firing. Later, Iranian state TV said that a ceasefire was coming into effect, which it described as a being “imposed on the enemy.”
But, by Tuesday morning both Iranian and Israeli bombings were continuing, with no sign of a ceasefire on the ground.
Updated
Israel’s Magen David Adom nation emergency service says in a post on X that three people are in critical condition after recent sirens.
“At the scene in southern Israel, MDA EMTs and paramedics are currently providing treatment to 3 people in critical condition—a man around 40, a woman around 30, and a man around 20, as well as 1 in moderate condition, and 5 others with minor injuries.”
The IDF is now reporting a third wave of missiles launches from Iran towards Israel, according to Reuters news.
Missiles launched from Iran towards Israel as seen from Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
A missile launched from Iran towards Israel as seen from Tubas.
A smoke trail from the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system streaks across the sky as it intercepts missiles.
Israel’s military says it has identified another wave of missiles launched from Iran towards Israel, according to Reuters news.
Meanwhile, president Trump has posted this message on Truth Social:
Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, “PEACE!” I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS! Both Nations will see tremendous LOVE, PEACE, AND PROSPERITY in their futures. They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH. The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!”
Amid confusion over whether a ceasefire is in place, and if so when it officially begins, Israel’s Defence Forces have confirmed that missiles have been launched from Iran toward Israel.
In a post on X, the IDR said:
The IDF has identified that missiles were launched from Iran toward Israeli territory a short time ago. Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat. You must enter protected spaces upon receiving the alert and remain there until further notice. Leaving the protected space will be permitted only upon receiving explicit instructions; continue to follow the Home Front Command’s guidelines.”
Why is Iran’s nuclear programme so essential to its identity?
Why does a country with large oil reserves feel such a need to have home-grown civil nuclear energy?
Have a read of this interesting feature from the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour.
An unidentified drone targeted an army radar at Iraq’s Taji military base north of Baghdad, the Iraqi state news agency reported early on Tuesday, citing a military official, as picked up by Reuters.
There were no casualties, the commander of Baghdad’s operations said.
In 2020, the US-led international coalition troops withdrew from the base and handed it over to Iraqi security forces. The base had historically held up to 2,000 coalition members.
The base, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, had been the site of frequent rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias targeting US-led troops months before the withdrawal.
Opening summary
It has been a dramatic few hours in the Israel-Iran war, with retaliatory attacks from Iran on the largest US military facility in the Middle East, and claims from US president Donald Trump that a ceasefire has been agreed.
Here is the latest:
US president Donald Trump has announced in a social media post that Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire. “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR,” Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social. “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” Trump later told NBC the ceasefire was “unlimited” and would last “forever”.
Trump brokered the ceasefire through talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday while his team, including vice-president JD Vance, held talks with Tehran, a senior White House official told Reuters. The official, providing details of the ceasefire on condition of anonymity, said Israel agreed to it so long as Iran does not launch fresh attacks. Iran signalled that no further attacks would take place, the official said.
After the ceasefire was announcement by Trump, Israel’s Defence Forces issued an evacuation warning for several parts of the Iranian capital, ahead of a planned Israeli strike. On social media, some users reported massive explosions in Tehran, which they said was the most intense since Israel first started bombing Iran 12 days ago.
Iran’s foreign minister seemed to suggest that a cessation of hostilities had begun in a post on social media, saying Iran’s military attacked Israel “until the very last minute, at 4am.” Earlier he said that if Israeli strikes ceased at 12.30GMT Iran had “no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
Israel is yet to officially confirm the ceasefire.
According to a report from Reuters news agency, Qatar played a role in helping to broker the deal behind the scenes. Qatar’s prime minister reportedly secured Iran’s agreement in a call with Tehran, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
Trump’s proclaimed ceasefire comes after Iran announced it had launched a missile attack on a US base in the Gulf state of Qatar, at the Al Udeid Air Base, in what it said was retaliation for US participation in Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran the day before.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said that “Qatar’s air defences successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles” and there had been no casualties. Iran reportedly provided advance warning of the attack.
Trump at the weekend launched an unprecedented attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. Codenamed ‘Midnight Hammer,’ the attack deployed American B-2 bombers, and so-called bunker buster bombs.
Trump was quick to claim that US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had “completely and totally obliterated” them. Still, it remains unclear how much physical damage has been done or what the longer-term impact might be on Iran’s nuclear programme.
US bombing probably caused “very significant” damage to the underground areas of Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment plant dug into a mountain, though no one can yet tell the extent, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday. “Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme(ly) vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Grossi said in a statement.
The comments follow a meeting by the national security committee of Iran’s parliament, which approved the general outline of a bill meant to fully suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. According to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the IAEA would be suspended as long as the security of nuclear facilities is not guaranteed.
