What we know about the ceasefire and Iran's attack against the US

Sydney Morning Herald

6 hours ago

A ceasefire is an agreement between warring parties to cease fighting. If the ceasefire is realised in the terms Trump has announced, it would lead to a total end in fighting between Israel and Iran, which, this time around, began on the June 13. (Israel and Iran had traded limited striked in October.)
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According to Trump's statement, Iran will cease its strikes against Israel by 2pm, and by 8pm, Israel will stop bombing Iran. By 8am Wednesday, 'an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World' Trump said.
What has Australia said about the ceasefire?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed Trump's announcement. He reiterated calls for peace in the Middle East and said the government's priority was assisting Australians in the region.
'Australia welcomes President [Donald] Trump's announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran,' he said. 'We have consistently called for dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation.'
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong earlier condemned the attack by Iran and said the government continued 'to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy' in a post on X.
'We do not want to see further escalation. A full-scale war in the Middle East would be devastating for the people of the region and the world,' she said.
Wong encouraged travelling Australians to follow Smartraveller advice. Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (calling within Australia) and [phone] (from overseas), she said.
Are Israel and Iran still attacking each other?
In the hours before the ceasefire, Iran and Israel were continuing to exchange attacks. Under the terms of the agreement, Iran would have until 2pm, and Israel until 8pm, to complete their 'in-progress, final missions,' Trump said.
Israel's military has issued new evacuation warnings for Tehran, CNN reported, telling residents in parts of the city to flee.
Notably, Israel targeted Tehran's Evin Prison, which historically has held political prisoners and Westerners, including Australian researcher Kylie Moore-Gilbert, from 2018 to 2020.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to the prison. Black-and-white footage shared by Iranian state-TV showed the facilities' front gate being exploded in the strike.
France's foreign minister accused Israel of endangering two French citizens detained inside the prison.
Where did Iran attack?
Before the ceasefire was announced, Iran fired missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base, which houses US troops, as well as the air forces of Qatar and Britain. Explosions could be heard overhead in the Gulf-state's capital of Doha as air defences worked to intercept the attack.
The Qatar Defence Ministry said Iran fired 19 missiles and one made landfall, but there were no deaths or injuries. This is in part to Iran warning the US before the attack, which enabled the evacuation of personnel.
What did the US and Iran say about the attack?
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Iranian response was 'very weak' and it was both expected and effectively countered. He said 14 missiles were fired, of which 13 were intercepted and one passed by air defences 'because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction'. His numbers were different to those reported by the Qatari ministry.
US Vice President J.D. Vance said the attack appeared to be symbolic rather than malicious. 'They [Iran] actually gave us some warning here... because they didn't want to kill Americans, and they didn't want to escalate,' he told Fox News.
'There's definitely some symbolism to this ... if you look at the Iranian attack, it was fourteen missiles that they telegraphed ahead of time [and] we dropped fourteen bunker buster bombs.'
Iran described the attack as 'powerful and destructive'. The regime's Revolutionary Guard Corps said the wave of missiles was in retaliation to 'the blatant military aggression by the criminal regime of the United States' and that Iran 'will never leave any aggression against its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or national security unanswered'.
Will the US retaliate?
It's hard to say, but it appears Trump is publicly indicating the US does not intend to retaliate. Upon announcing the ceasefire deal, Trump publicly called for peace and said the war would soon be 'officially' over.
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'IT'S TIME FOR PEACE' he posted on Truth Social after Iran's attack. The president added Iran had now 'gotten it all out of their system' and he hoped there would be 'no further HATE'.
However, in his statements after the US attacked Iranian nuclear sites, Trump warned Iran he would attack other sites if peace was not brokered swiftly. 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,' he said in an address from the White House.
It is worth noting that Trump has previously given misleading information publicly before launching an attack. Before striking Iran on Sunday, Trump said he would decide within the next two weeks on the United States' next move, which was used to create a false sense of security ahead of the American attack.
How did the attack impacting flights?
The missile attack has forced planes to turn around mid-flight and necessitated the cancellation of some journeys.
Qatar closed its airspace for a couple of hours after the strike but reopened it shortly after 7am AEST. The Gulf state's carrier Qatar Airways said it anticipated 'significant delays'.