Trump holds out Israel-Iran ceasefire deal as validation for his gamble of US airstrikes

Time of India

4 hours ago

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President Donald Trump on Monday said the "12 day war" between Israel and Iran was set to end in a ceasefire , holding out the expected deal as validation for his strategic gamble of ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites."It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE," Trump posted on social media.Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel would. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He had said on social media earlier Monday that Iran would not surrender. Israel has not publicly confirmed that it has agreed to end hostilities."As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations," Araghchi wrote on social media. "However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards."A ceasefire, if it culminates as Trump laid out, would be welcome news for the region and the world. But the situation in the Middle East remains far from stable and it was impossible to predict how longer-term dynamics might be affected. The Israeli and U.S. bombing of Iran certainly has slowed Iran's ability to enrich nuclear material but it might also have steeled Tehran's resolve to breakout toward a bomb.Trump's announcement comes just before he leaves Tuesday for a NATO summit in the Netherlands, where he will likely make the case that his mix of aggression and diplomacy has succeeded.Never shy to suggest he deserves the Nobel Peace Price, Trump went so far as to give the conflict between Israel and Iran the name of the "12 day war," a title that seemed to reference the 1967 "Six Day War" in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria.Later, Trump in another social media posting said that "Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, "PEACE!""They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH," Trump added. "The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!"As Trump described it, the ceasefire would start with Iran and then be joined by Israel 12 hours later, with the president writing that the respective sides would "remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL." The phased-in ceasefire was set to begin Tuesday morning in Israel and Iran and culminate within 24 hours.But Iran launched another attack on Israel after 4 a.m. local time in Tehran, the time Iran's foreign minister said Iran would cease its attacks if Israel ended their airstrikes."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 said.The White House reposted Trump's announcement with a photo of the president holding a red hat that said "Trump was right about everything" in all capital letters.A senior White House official said Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire. The official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks, said Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels.The official said the Qatari government played an important role in brokering the coming ceasefire. Trump spoke to Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to thank him for helping land the agreement. The Gulf emirate has been chief interlocutor in the on-and-off ceasefire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas in their ongoing war in Gaza.The exact terms of the ceasefire other than the timeline provided by the Trump administration remained to be seen.On Sunday, the Trump administration had insisted that Iran abandon its program to enrich uranium for possible use in nuclear weapons as a condition of any lasting peace. While the bombings of the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan facilities were a powerful show of force, it remained uncertain just how much nuclear material Iran still possessed and what its ambitions would be going forward.Vice President JD Vance said in a TV interview just as the ceasefire was announced that the world would look back at the war between Israel and Iran -- and the U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities -- as "an important reset moment for the entire region."Appearing on Fox News Channel's "Special Report," the vice president said the Trump administration hoped that the Iranians had learned an important lesson: If they want to build a nuclear weapon in the future, he said, "they're going to have to deal with a very, very powerful American military again."White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on the social media site X an Associated Press headline of the news and wrote that Trump "has accomplished what no other president in history could ever imagine - the obliteration of the Iranian Regime's nuclear program, and an unprecedented ceasefire between Israel and Iran."The ceasefire announcement came after Iran attempted to retaliate for the U.S. assault with a Monday missile strike aimed at a major U.S. military installation in the Gulf nation of Qatar. Trump separately thanked Iran on social media for giving the U.S. and allies "early notice" of the retaliation.The president expressed hope that Tehran - with its reprisal for the U.S. bombardment of three key Iranian nuclear facilities - had "gotten it all out of their 'system'" and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war.The Iranian attack on U.S. forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base marked Tehran's first act of direct retaliation against the U.S. since Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.Leon Panetta, who served as CIA director and defense secretary under former President Barack Obama, said Iran's restrained response suggests that "their ability to respond has probably been damaged pretty badly." He also said it's a potential signal "they're not interested in escalating the war, either with Israel or the United States."Trump said Iran launched 14 missiles at the base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command and was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.The president said 13 of the Iranian missiles "were knocked down" by U.S. air defense systems while one was "'set free' because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction."