An Iranian official has directly refuted President Donald Trump’s claim that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire. The president made the announcement on Truth Social Monday, June 23, just hours after Iran attacked a U.S. military base in Qatar.
Trump’s announcement
In his post, the president stated that the ceasefire will begin at approximately 12:00 a.m. EST. He added this will be the end of what he called the “12 day war,” saying it could have gone on for years and “destroyed the Middle East.”
Announcement reaction
Reaction is still coming from the Middle East.
One of the first to respond was Mahdi Mohammadi, an advisor to Iran’s parliament speaker. According to the Tehran Times, Mohammadi wrote on X, “The U.S. and Israel are lying. They want Iran to put down its guard so they can escalate the tensions.”
Likewise, Mehr, a state-run news agency sponsored by the Iranian government, covered Trump’s announcement with the headline “Liar Trump speaks of ceasefire between Iran, Israeli regime.”
However, Reuters reports that a senior Iranian official confirmed that Tehran agreed to the proposal.
Back stateside, Vice President JD Vance applauded the announcement while speaking on Fox News. “Tomorrow really is a new day. The end of the 12-day war, the end of the Iranian nuclear program, and I really do believe, the beginning of something very big for peace in the Middle East,” Vance said.
Israel, Iran war
The two countries have been exchanging direct attacks for nearly two weeks following an initial Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13. Iran then followed with missile and drone attacks.
The indirect fighting dates back to Oct. 7, 2023, when the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis at a music festival. Hamas also took dozens of hostages.
contributed to this report.