In a chaotic sequence of events that defined the latest escalation in the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict, Tehran announced a ceasefire — but only after launching four punishing waves of missile attacks on Israeli-held territory, killing four and wounding six. The declaration followed a flurry of contradictory messages, international posturing, and a bold, premature claim by US President Donald Trump.
Earlier, Trump took to Truth Social to proclaim a dramatic end to what he called the “12-Day War,” declaring a “complete and total ceasefire” between Iran and Israel. But within hours, Iran issued a sharp denial — rejecting any such agreement — only to reverse course soon after, signaling a pause in its military campaign.
Even as Trump’s ceasefire claim echoed across headlines, Iranian missile strikes thundered into Israel. Fatalities and injuries were reported from attacks launched after Trump’s announcement. Meanwhile, Iranian state media confirmed the war pause had only begun after Iran had completed its retaliation in “four waves of Iranian attacks on Israeli-occupied territories.”
The confusion deepened as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a cryptic message that pointed to a winding down of military operations. “The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4 am,” he said. “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.”
Araghchi’s remarks came shortly after an earlier statement where he had drawn a firm red line: “As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around. As of now, there is NO agreement on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. 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.”
While the world tried to make sense of the conflicting signals, reports emerged of Iran targeting US military bases in Iraq and Qatar — even after the ceasefire announcement. President Trump dismissed the Iranian missile barrage as a “very weak” and “expected” response. He claimed Iran had fired 14 missiles, of which 13 were intercepted, while one — deemed non-lethal — was allowed to pass.
Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had fired off a defiant salvo on social media. With an image of a burning American flag set against crumbling ruins, he thundered: “We didn’t harm anyone. And we will not accept any harassment from anyone under any circumstances. And we will not submit to anyone’s harassment. This is the logic of the Iranian nation.”
In his initial post, Trump had laid out a timeline for the ceasefire to take effect: a six-hour window from the time of announcement, with Iran initiating the pause, followed by Israel 12 hours later. According to Trump, both sides had “final missions” to complete before the 24-hour full cessation of hostilities — though he did not specify what those missions entailed.
Diplomatic sources cited by a news agency reported that the breakthrough came via a Qatar-mediated proposal, heavily backed by Washington. The agreement reportedly came into place mere minutes after both sides threatened further escalation — a razor’s edge moment narrowly defused.
Despite the chaos, Trump praised the warring parties, lauding their “stamina, courage, and intelligence” in choosing to halt the fighting. “This is a war that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” he wrote. And in true Trumpian crescendo, he ended with: “God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”
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