LIVE: Trump announces Israel-Iran truce after attack on US base in Qatar
US President Donald Trump says Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire to bring an end to what he calls the '12-day war'.
Trump's announcement comes after Iran fired a salvo of missiles at a US military base in Qatar. Doha has condemned the attack.
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Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Tehran attacks US base in Qatar, hours later Trump states Israel-Iran truce
United States President Donald Trump has announced a 'complete and total' ceasefire between Israel and Iran, set to be phased in over the next 24 hours after a frenetic day of conflict in the region. Israel and Iran have yet to comment on Trump's announcement. The announcement follows an attack on US forces at Al Udeid airbase in Qatar on Monday, after Tehran said it would retaliate for the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, with the Qatari authorities saying missiles were successfully intercepted. '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 Truth Social site. US military officials said that Al Udeid Air Base was the only US military base targeted by Iran, according to the Reuters news agency. The officials confirmed that there had been no impact on the base just outside Qatar's capital, Doha. A US defence official added that 'Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today'. 'At this time, there are no reports of US casualties. We are monitoring this situation closely and will provide more information as it becomes available,' the official said. Following the attack, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a post X that 'we have not violated anyone's rights, and we will not under any circumstances accept any violation against us, nor will we surrender to anyone's aggression; this is the logic of the Iranian nation.' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later added that the country is ready to respond again if the US takes any further action, according to a statement posted on Telegram. United States President Donald Trump said Iran had 'a very weak response' and thanked the country's leadership for providing 'early notice' of the retaliatory attack. 'I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,' Trump posted on Truth Social. 'Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their 'system,' and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE. I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured.' Qatar condemns attacks Flares were visible over Qatar's capital, Doha, on Monday. It was initially not immediately known if this was the air defence system or missiles. Loud explosions were also heard, although so far no injuries have been reported. Qatar's Ministry of Defence says its air defence systems successfully intercepted missiles targeting Al Udeid Air Base. In a statement, the ministry said the incident resulted in no deaths or injuries, crediting 'the vigilance of the armed forces and precautionary measures taken'. Qatar has confirmed that a total of 19 missiles were fired from Iran. It added that only one of those hit Al Udeid Air Base but caused no casualties. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera's Tohid Asadi says it's still uncertain whether Iran's latest strikes mark the end of its response to US attacks on its nuclear facilities. 'Whether this will be the final attack, or if more are to come, is still unclear,' he said. From Tehran's perspective, there may be a sense that the situation is now balanced. But Iran also views this as part of a larger, ongoing confrontation, Asadi added. 'The Iranians claim that not only the US, but also European countries, are supplying Israel with the infrastructure and weaponry' used to strike Iranian targets. 'So, from Iran's point of view, it is part of an ongoing battle in which it is being targeted on a daily basis,' he said. Iran's Supreme National Security Council said that the missile strike against the Al Udeid Air Base was far away from residential areas in Qatar. 'This action does not pose any threat to the friendly and brotherly country, Qatar, and its noble people, and the Islamic Republic of Iran remains committed to maintaining and continuing warm and historic relations with Qatar,' the council said in a statement. Iran and Qatar enjoy fraternal relations, and the Qatari government has condemned both the Israeli and US attacks on Iran. Qatar, nevertheless, condemned the attack as a blatant violation of its sovereignty. Al Jazeera's correspondent Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Doha following the Iranian attack, said, 'People here have never experienced this kind of environment, so it was certainly a very dramatic experience.' 'But it's important to understand that this was not intended to harm the civilian population, but it was a clear message to the US government and military that Iran has the capability to launch direct attacks on US military personnel in the Middle East,' added Jabbari. Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said the war in Gaza is setting a lot of precedents in the region and wider international relations. 'Some of them are very reminiscent of the things that happened in the past,' he said, adding that this was the first time Iran targeted a US base outside Iraq. 'It is also new the way the US attacked Iran and the way Israel preventively attacked Iran in its war of choice,' Bishara said. He added that rapid developments in the widening conflict show that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is both 'manipulating the US' and 'taking the entire region to an unknown as an indicted criminal'. US on Iran's retaliation Al Jazeera's correspondent, Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said that Trump was in the Situation Room of the White House. Initially, his national security briefing had been scheduled for the Oval Office, but it was moved due to these developments involving attacks on US bases – specifically in Qatar. 'We also know that in advance of the attack on Al Udeid Air Base, which is the headquarters of the Central Command, the largest installation in the region, there was an evacuation of the major infrastructure in terms of the aircraft,' said Halkett. 'What we know is that the Pentagon right now, even if it's on high alert, is not tracking any other potential attacks in any other bases – this was localised to Qatar,' added Halkett. Reports from the White House indicated that the Iranian attack on the air base appears to have been calibrated to mirror the US strike in terms of the number of missiles used. The embassies of the US and United Kingdom in Qatar had earlier released statements recommending that citizens in Qatar shelter in place until further notice. Qatar said it shut down its airspace temporarily as part of the measures taken to ensure the safety of residents and visitors, though it has since reopened its airspace. The countries with the most US troops include Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. These installations serve as critical hubs for air and naval operations, regional logistics, intelligence-gathering and force projection. Other Gulf countries — including Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and the UAE — initially closed their airspace. Since then, they have all reopened. Al Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East, established in 1996. Covering an area of 24 hectares (60 acres), the base accommodates almost 100 aircraft as well as drones. This base, which houses some 10,000 troops, serves as the forward headquarters for US Central Command (CENTCOM) and has been central to operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
Qatar Tribune
4 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Israeli air raids target southern Lebanon
Israeli air raids have targeted the outskirts of several areas in south Lebanon, including the villages of Zrariyeh, Kfrar Milki and Ansar, according to the country's National News Agency. The attacks on Monday appear to have targeted open areas outside of the towns. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Monday's airstrikes were reportedly more intense than the usual, near-daily, violations — that Israel has carried out — of the November 2024 ceasefire that ended its 14-month war with Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it struck rocket launchers and an arms depot for Hezbollah, but provided no evidence of that. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem warned last week that the group may take 'appropriate' measures if the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates further. So far, the Iran-allied group has not militarily intervened in the conflict. Earlier this month, Israel launched a series of strikes targeting Beirut's southern suburbs, sending huge numbers of residents fleeing their homes on the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday after issuing a forced evacuation order an hour earlier. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz warned at the time that 'there will be no calm in Beirut' and 'no order or stability in Lebanon' unless Hezbollah is disarmed. That Israeli attack was the fourth, and heaviest, carried out targeting Beirut's southern suburbs – a Hezbollah stronghold – since the ceasefire ended hostilities. (Agencies)
Qatar Tribune
4 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Failed Japan deal highlights US trade negotiation challenges
Agencies The United States failed this week to reach a tariff deal with Japan, a key Pacific Rim ally, and has threatened to notify multiple countries of new duty rates on imports after talks with only one, the United Kingdom, have shown any results. Those developments, which made the US look weak in the short term, should prompt China to take a harder line with Washington on reaching a deal, analysts said. China, the world's second-largest economy, was hit especially hard by US President Donald Trump on April 2, which he dubbed 'Liberation Day', when he raised duties on Chinese imports to more than 100 per cent. Citing concerns over US trade deficits, he also imposed double-digit tariffs on imports from many other Asian nations. Country-specific 'Liberation Day' tariffs were put on hold for 90 days the following week – until July 9 for most countries – pending trade negotiations. Following talks in Switzerland in early May, those on China were also paused for 90 days, until August 12. Beijing's negotiators would draw strength from the US threat to notify trading partners of new duties and the lack of a US-Japan deal because both showed it was hard for Washington to get what it wanted through talks this summer, said Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong. 'These kinds of threats should embolden the Chinese negotiators because it's a sign of desperation,' Chen said. Threats of letters that would unilaterally announce recalibrated tariffs on target countries and the lack of a Japan deal meant the US had 'not gained much ground' in negotiations around the world, he added. On the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made 'little headway in bridging gaps over tariffs', Kyodo News reported. Trump told reporters last week that Washington would send other countries letters that establish new US tariff rates despite ongoing negotiations with 17 major trading partners. The sheer number of tariff deals being sought was 'creating capacity constraints for US trade negotiators' as the 90-day pauses wound down, said Rajiv Biswas, CEO of the Asia-Pacific Economics research group in Singapore. The UK deal – Trump's first since April 2 – obliges the UK to lower certain non-tariff barriers on US goods and holds out the prospect that British exports of steel and aluminium could be exempted from US tariffs, pending further talks. The UK was exempted from a doubling of US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to 50 per cent early this have described the UK deal content as thin, with the Brookings think tank calling it 'less a done deal than a first instalment in ongoing negotiations'. Unilateral changes in US tariff rates would show that the 90-day negotiation periods allowed too little time for deal making, said Jayant Menon, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
