Israel-Iran conflict: US President Donald Trump declared a “complete and total” ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday, expressing hopes that the pause in hostilities would “last forever”. Taking to social media, Trump announced that the ceasefire was set to take effect in approximately six hours and last for 12 hours before culminating in an official end to the 12-day war.

What Trump said about the Israel-Iran ceasefire?

In his post, Trump outlined a two-phase process agreed upon by both sides. “Israel and Iran have agreed that this is a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” he wrote. The president explained that Iran would begin the ceasefire first, halting its military operations immediately. Twelve hours after that, Israel would implement its own ceasefire. After 24 hours of mutual respect and peace, the world would then “witness the official end of this 12-day war,” Trump said.

While Trump celebrated the agreement as a historic moment, both Iran and Israel had yet to make public statements confirming these arrangements as of Monday evening.

What do we know about the ceasefire plan?

The ceasefire announcement followed a phone call between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. According to a senior White House official who spoke to Reuters under anonymity, Trump played a central role in brokering the agreement. Iran signalled it would abide by the ceasefire as long as Israel refrains from launching any new attacks, the official added.

The US diplomatic effort involved a host of senior figures including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff. They maintained direct and indirect contact with Iranian representatives throughout the process.

Iran says ‘no ceasefire yet’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Araqchi said that if Israel halts its illegal aggression by 4 AM Tehran time, Iran will not retaliate further, but no ceasefire or cessation of hostilities has been agreed.

Qatar’s role in the ceasefire talks

A senior Iranian official also told Times of Isreal that Qatar played a significant role in securing Tehran’s acceptance of the ceasefire Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani helped facilitate the dialogue after Trump contacted Qatar’s emir to request assistance. The call took place just after Iran’s retaliatory strikes on a US air base in Qatar earlier on Monday.

Hopes for lasting peace

In an interview with NBC News, Trump projected optimism about the durability of the ceasefire. “I think the ceasefire is unlimited. It’s going to go forever,” Trump told the network, underscoring his belief that this peace deal could herald a new era of stability in the region.

Meanwhile, formal confirmation from either Jerusalem or Tehran was still pending.