Iran to stop if Israel does, Trump announces ceasefire
US President Donald Trump has announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially ending the 12-day war that saw millions flee Tehran and prompted fears of further escalation in the war-torn region.
There was no immediate comment yet from Israel. Iran's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks.
Abbas Araqchi said if Israel stopped its "illegal aggression" against the Iranian people no later than 10.30 AEST, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards.
"The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X.
There have been no reported Israeli attacks on Iran since that time.
Trump suggested that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process.
"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE... for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!," he said in a post on Truth Social.
"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.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.
A White House official said US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians.
Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters.
Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signalled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran and had passed the message on to the United States.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "very, very close to completing" its goals.
Earlier Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed towards peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes.
The president's announcement comes after Iran's military carried out a "devastating and powerful" missile attack on the Al-Udeid US air base in Qatar.
Qatar's defence minister, quoted by al-Jazeera TV, said its air defences intercepted missiles directed at the Al-Udeid air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, situated across the Gulf from Iran.
Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: "We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer".
Iran's military said its volley against Al-Udeid air base matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the US and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford.
Tehran appears to have achieved that goal.
with AP and PA
US President Donald Trump has announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially ending the 12-day war that saw millions flee Tehran and prompted fears of further escalation in the war-torn region.
There was no immediate comment yet from Israel. Iran's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks.
Abbas Araqchi said if Israel stopped its "illegal aggression" against the Iranian people no later than 10.30 AEST, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards.
"The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X.
There have been no reported Israeli attacks on Iran since that time.
Trump suggested that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process.
"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE... for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!," he said in a post on Truth Social.
"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.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.
A White House official said US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians.
Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters.
Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signalled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran and had passed the message on to the United States.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "very, very close to completing" its goals.
Earlier Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed towards peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes.
The president's announcement comes after Iran's military carried out a "devastating and powerful" missile attack on the Al-Udeid US air base in Qatar.
Qatar's defence minister, quoted by al-Jazeera TV, said its air defences intercepted missiles directed at the Al-Udeid air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, situated across the Gulf from Iran.
Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: "We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer".
Iran's military said its volley against Al-Udeid air base matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the US and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford.
Tehran appears to have achieved that goal.
with AP and PA
US President Donald Trump has announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially ending the 12-day war that saw millions flee Tehran and prompted fears of further escalation in the war-torn region.
There was no immediate comment yet from Israel. Iran's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks.
Abbas Araqchi said if Israel stopped its "illegal aggression" against the Iranian people no later than 10.30 AEST, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards.
"The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X.
There have been no reported Israeli attacks on Iran since that time.
Trump suggested that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process.
"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE... for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!," he said in a post on Truth Social.
"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.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.
A White House official said US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians.
Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters.
Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signalled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran and had passed the message on to the United States.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "very, very close to completing" its goals.
Earlier Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed towards peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes.
The president's announcement comes after Iran's military carried out a "devastating and powerful" missile attack on the Al-Udeid US air base in Qatar.
Qatar's defence minister, quoted by al-Jazeera TV, said its air defences intercepted missiles directed at the Al-Udeid air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, situated across the Gulf from Iran.
Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: "We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer".
Iran's military said its volley against Al-Udeid air base matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the US and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford.
Tehran appears to have achieved that goal.
with AP and PA
US President Donald Trump has announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially ending the 12-day war that saw millions flee Tehran and prompted fears of further escalation in the war-torn region.
There was no immediate comment yet from Israel. Iran's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks.
Abbas Araqchi said if Israel stopped its "illegal aggression" against the Iranian people no later than 10.30 AEST, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards.
"The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X.
There have been no reported Israeli attacks on Iran since that time.
Trump suggested that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process.
"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE... for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!," he said in a post on Truth Social.
"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.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.
A White House official said US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians.
Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters.
Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signalled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran and had passed the message on to the United States.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "very, very close to completing" its goals.
Earlier Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed towards peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes.
The president's announcement comes after Iran's military carried out a "devastating and powerful" missile attack on the Al-Udeid US air base in Qatar.
Qatar's defence minister, quoted by al-Jazeera TV, said its air defences intercepted missiles directed at the Al-Udeid air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, situated across the Gulf from Iran.
Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: "We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer".
Iran's military said its volley against Al-Udeid air base matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the US and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford.
Tehran appears to have achieved that goal.
with AP and PA
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The last time I saw the gates of Iran's Evin Prison was November, 25, 2020. Handcuffed, blindfolded yet finally out of my cell, I was driven to a point just outside the prison walls. Behind me was a nondescript blue and white sign proclaiming the name of the prison, and a single-lane entrance point with guard posts on either side of three-story stone walls. It was a relatively unimposing thoroughfare for such a consequential symbol of power and brutality. I was told to stand in front of the gates, now closed to traffic. A man with a television camera mounted on a tripod appeared, and a Revolutionary Guard member started firing questions at me in Farsi. It was clear that I was expected to participate in one final humiliation: a propaganda clip for the evening news broadcast. Knowing that nothing I said now could possibly derail the deal which had been made to secure my freedom, I stood outside those gates and did my best to render the footage unusable. No, I was not a spy and I do not confess. No, I wasn't treated well in prison. No, I am not thankful to my captors for releasing me, having lost two years and three months of my life to this cruel and barbaric place. Those gates are instantly recognisable to every Iranian, whether or not they watch the propaganda clips routinely aired on state TV targeting people, like me, who had been held inside. They stand for the immense coercive power of the Islamic Republic and the supremacy of its behemoth security apparatus. They stand for the ability of a totalitarian state to reach deep into the lives of ordinary people, threatening to take from them everything and everyone they hold dear should they, for whatever reason, be unlucky enough to cross its threshold. Israel's strike on Evin Prison in Tehran in the hours before US President Donald Trump's ceasefire agreement came into effect had no plausible military purpose. Along with other targets, such as the headquarters of the Basij militia and Revolutionary Guard Corps, this was a highly symbolic attack designed to send a message about Israel's longer-term goals for Iran. To the regime, the destruction of the gates of Evin, filmed by the Israeli Defence Force and circulated online shortly after, represented not only the ruination of Iran's feared internal security apparatus, but that of its ideology too. To the political dissidents housed within Evin, and the Iranian people more broadly, the message was similarly clear: The clerical kleptocracy which has oppressed you for four decades is a paper tiger. Rise up, walk out those gates, and free yourselves. Of course amid all this potent symbolism, Israel has its own narrow interests at play, and these do not necessarily align with those of the Iranian people. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers have made numerous statements about regime change in Iran, as has Trump, but it remains to be seen whether Tel Aviv, Washington or other Western powers will actually do anything to advance the Iranian people's well-documented desire to be rid of the Islamic Republic, beyond talking a big game on social media. Reports emerging from inside Evin Prison after the strikes paint a concerning picture of fear, chaos and, even while under fire, repression and crackdown. The account of Reza Khandan, the husband of prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and an activist himself who is currently imprisoned in Evin, posted a statement online on behalf of a group of prisoners trapped inside. In it, he described inmates injured from broken glass, and a stampede triggered by the panic of those who had 'nowhere to run'. According to Khandan, prison authorities responded with 'threats, intimidation and pressure on prisoners', and have refused to treat the injured.
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