The ceasefire between Israel and Iran held on Tuesday despite a shaky start. Both sides accused each other of violating the agreement, with Israel claiming a radar system near Tehran was attacked and Iran being accused of launching missile strikes against Israel, which it denies. President Donald Trump tried to salvage the fragile truce that took effect early Tuesday morning.
He said “Israel is not going to attack Iran” and added that the ceasefire is still in effect, despite expressing frustration toward both sides for breaking the agreement. The conflict lasted 12 days and saw significant casualties, with at least 28 people killed in Israel due to Iranian strikes and over 600 in Iran from Israeli missiles. It concluded with a perceived victory for Israel, bolstering its dominance in the region.
Trump announced plans to hold talks with Iran to address and potentially end its nuclear ambitions. However, an early US intelligence assessment suggested the US military’s strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend did not destroy the core components of its nuclear program.
Truce persists amid accusations
The White House acknowledged the assessment but disagreed with its conclusions. Trump disclosed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had called to offer help with the situation in Iran. Residents of Haifa, Israel, expressed mixed feelings about Trump’s criticism and the ceasefire’s status, with some expressing gratitude for his efforts despite verbal disapproval.
Republican senators called for more information on the state of Iran’s nuclear program following the US strikes. GOP Sen. Rand Paul warned that the strikes might backfire by encouraging Iran to escalate its nuclear efforts.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, reaffirmed that Israel would respond forcefully to any ceasefire violation and thanked Trump for his role in establishing the truce. Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, thanked Qatar for its diplomatic efforts in preventing further escalation.