U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media Monday evening, claiming that Iran and Israel had reached a ceasefire agreement. Trump wrote:
“CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in-progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED! Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL. 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.’ This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!”
The announcement came as a surprise, with no prior reports of mediation or ongoing diplomatic negotiations between the two countries.
Just prior to Trump’s statement, CNN cited an Iranian official who claimed that Tehran had not received any ceasefire proposal and was, in fact, preparing to escalate its strikes on Israel, while Reuters is reporting that Iran agreed to the proposal following a call with Qatar's Prime Minister.
As of publication, no Israeli officials have publicly commented on the purported ceasefire. Trump's proposed arrangement—where Iran would cease hostilities first, followed by Israel—is reminiscent of past ceasefire frameworks involving Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, which have often allowed Israel to retain the option of resuming military operations unilaterally.
Israeli media is reporting that following a meeting of his cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed all cabinet members not to comment to the media.
Some analysts believe Trump’s announcement may be a strategic move intended to pressure Tehran into a ceasefire by presenting it as a done deal. This tactic mirrors a negotiating method described in Trump’s book The Art of the Deal, where a public declaration can be used to shift perception and compel agreement.