What’s Going On With the Iran-Israel Ceasefire?

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What’s Going On With the Iran-Israel Ceasefire?

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel was supposed to start early Tuesday, but things are already shaky. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who helped broker the deal along with Qatar, announced the truce had taken effect around 05:00 GMT. But just hours later, both sides were accusing each other of breaking it.

When Did the Ceasefire Start?

Trump first announced late Monday night (around 22:00 GMT) that a truce had been "fully agreed," bringing an end to what he called the “12-day war.” Then, just after 05:00 GMT Tuesday, he said the ceasefire was officially in place and pleaded with both Iran and Israel not to break it. Israel confirmed it had agreed to the deal shortly after 06:00 GMT, saying Iran had also signaled it would halt attacks if Israel did the same.

But within a few hours, Israel accused Iran of firing missiles — something Iran flatly denied

What Did Trump Say?

Trump didn’t hold back. On Truth Social, he told Israel, “do not drop those bombs.” Later, speaking to reporters, he said he was frustrated with both sides and wasn’t happy with Israel’s actions. He claimed that after the ceasefire was meant to begin, “one rocket got fired” and now Israel was launching major strikes. “These guys have got to calm down,” he added. In another post, he said bluntly, “The ceasefire is in effect.”

How Are Iran and Israel Responding?

Not well. Within two hours of accepting the ceasefire, the Israeli military said it detected missiles launched from Iran. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz called it a “total violation” of the agreement and said the military had been ordered to continue airstrikes in and around Tehran.

Iran, on the other hand, denied any missile launches after the ceasefire deadline. But its Revolutionary Guard later said they had targeted Israeli military and logistics sites just before the ceasefire kicked in. Iranian media also claimed that Israel had launched a “three-phase” attack on Iranian targets after the deal was supposed to be in effect.

Iran’s top security body warned that any further Israeli strikes would be met with a “firm and timely response.”

So, Has the Ceasefire Collapsed?

At this point, it seems very close to it.

Israel says Iran fired missiles after the ceasefire began and responded by bombing radar facilities near Tehran. Iran insists it didn’t break the truce, saying any attacks happened before the official start time.

Before the ceasefire, the fighting was intense. On Monday night into Tuesday morning, both sides exchanged heavy fire. Israel’s military said several of its strikes hit targets inside Iran, and Iranian state media reported that Tehran saw some of the heaviest air defense action since the war began on June 13. Loud explosions were heard across the city.

In Israel, four people were killed and more than 20 injured in the southern town of Beersheba from Iranian attacks. Iran also claimed that another one of its nuclear scientists was killed in an Israeli strike just before the ceasefire took effect.