Trump Proclaims End to ‘12-Day War’ Between Israel and Iran  

President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday.  

“Congratulations to everyone,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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!”  

The news comes after Israel launched targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, military bases, and top leaders on June 13, and less than 48 hours after the U.S. attacked Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.

“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,” Trump said.  

Minutes before Trump’s post on Truth Social, however, CNN reported that Iran had not received a ceasefire proposal and saw no reason for one. A senior Iranian official told CNN that Iran would continue to fight. It was not immediately clear if the deal between Iran and Israel was reached after CNN spoke to the official.

“During each ceasefire, the other side will remain peaceful and respectful,” Trump said. “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! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and God bless the world,” Trump said.  

The announcement follows nearly two weeks of continual attacks between Israel and Iran that began on June 13.  

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time that the campaign, known as Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran’s nuclear program, was launched for the sake of Israel’s “survival.” 

The U.S. engaged in ongoing negotiation with Iran over its nuclear program in the lead-up to Israel’s attack on Iran. Trump has repeatedly said that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and following reports of a deal that would allow for some uranium enrichment to continue in Iran, Trump said any deal with Iran would ban all enrichment. But Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said there would be no deal if Iran was not allowed to continue enrichment.   

Iran has been enriching uranium far beyond levels needed for civilian use.

Recent International Atomic Energy Agency reports confirm that “Iran was at nuclear threshold and was activating its newest underground enrichment facility complicating potential options to prevent their acquisition of a bomb,” according to Robert Greenway, former deputy assistant to the president and senior director on the National Security Council.  

On Saturday night, Trump announced that the U.S. had successfully bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Trump said Monday that the “sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed,” adding that only the “fake news” would claim otherwise.   

Satellite images show damage to Iran’s nuclear sites, but Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the press Sunday that it was too early to know the full extent of the damage on the sites.   

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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