Israel-Iran ceasefire is in effect, declares Trump, after rebuking both sides

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was “in effect”, after the truce, which he announced early morning, seemed unravelling following accusations of violations from both side, prompting Mr. Trump to curse them and issue a rare public demand to Israel to stand down.

The day witnessed dramatic developments as both Israel and Iran carried out massive strikes against each other in the final hours before the intended start of a 7 a.m. ceasefire (Doha time), announced by Mr. Trump. The Israeli Defence Forces said it struck eight Iranian ballistic missile launchers in western Iran. Tehran fired at least 20 ballistic missiles in six barrages, which started at 5 a.m. local time. Four people were killed and at least 22 others injured in Iran’s missile attacks.

Both Israeli and Iranian officials said they accepted the ceasefire. “In light of achieving the objectives of the campaign, and in complete coordination with President Trump, Israel agreed to the president’s proposal for a mutual ceasefire,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

Iran’s Press TV said the ceasefire came into effect after Tehran fired multiple missile barrages at Israel. “The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a social media post. “Together, with all Iranians, I thank our brave Armed Forces who remain ready to defend our dear country until their last drop of blood, and who responded to any attack by the enemy until the very last minute,” he added.

Israel claimed missiles were again fired at 10.30 a.m., which it blamed on Iran. Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the military to respond “forcefully” in Tehran. This is when Mr. Trump started writing a set of social media posts about Israel and Iran. “Israel, do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!” Mr. Trump wrote in all capital letters, clearly asking America’s closest ally to stand down. A few minutes later, Mr. Trump, in another post, said Israel was 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!”

Despite Mr. Trump’s warning, Israeli jets carried a strike against an Iranian radar north of Tehran on Tuesday afternoon, but stopped short of launching any major attack in Iran. Mr. Trump was visibly angry with Israel’s action and he expressed his frustration in no uncertain terms. “I am not happy that Israel is going out now,” he told presspersons at the White House as Israeli jets were carrying out the strike. “There was one rocket that I guess was fired overboard [by Iran]. It was after the time limit, and it missed its target. And now Israel’s going out. These guys gotta calm down. Ridiculous…,” he said.

“I did not like plenty of things I saw yesterday,” he said. “I did not like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal. They did not have to unload… The [Iranian] retaliation was very strong. But in all fairness, Israel unloaded a lot,” Mr. Trump added. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they do not know what the f**k they are doing.”

After Israeli jets returned home, the tension eased with the fragile ceasefire taking hold. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would respect the ceasefire if Israel does the same. “If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” Mr. Pezeshkian said during a phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to the President’s office. Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said the country was assessing the damage to its nuclear industry and that “arrangements have been made for its restoration,” according to the state-owned Mehr News. “The plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services,” said Mr. Eslami.

Mr. Trump, however, wrote, again all capital letters, “Iran will never rebuild their nuclear facilities.” “Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the war, equally. It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear Facilities and capability, and then STOP THE WAR!” he wrote in another post.

Mr. Trump announced the ceasefire early morning on Tuesday (local time), hours after Iran launched a missile attacks at the U.S. base in Qatar. Mr. Trump said Iran had provided prior information about the strike and that there were no injuries or casualties, signalling de-escalation. Qatar condemned the Iranian attack and said it reserved the right to respond, but also emphasised the need for dialogue and diplomacy. Qatar’s leaders played a major role in clinching the ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Mr. Trump later thanked Qatar’s Emir for “what he has done in seeking peace for the region”.