Efforts to end hostilities between Iran and Israel remain clouded in uncertainty, after US President Donald Trump claimed a ceasefire was agreed, only for Iran to reject the existence of any formal deal — and fresh missile attacks reignited fears of continued conflict.
In a post on X early Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi made clear there was “no agreement” on a ceasefire, though he signalled Iran would stop its response “provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4am Tehran time (00:30 GMT).” That deadline has now passed.
“As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around,” Araghchi wrote. “The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.”
He later added that Iran’s armed forces “continued until the very last minute, at 4am,” and praised their readiness to defend the nation “until their last drop of blood.”
However, within hours of that statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that missiles had been launched from Iran toward Israeli territory. Sirens sounded across parts of Israel as air defence systems moved into action.
“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said in a statement. Civilians were instructed to take shelter.
The renewed missile fire appears to directly contradict Trump’s claim made earlier that Iran and Israel had agreed to a truce to end what he labelled “The 12-Day War.” Israel has yet to issue any public response to either Trump’s announcement or Araghchi’s conditional ceasefire remarks.
The situation escalated dramatically on Monday when Iran launched a missile attack on a US military base in Qatar — a retaliatory move following American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend. Iran reportedly gave advance notice to avoid casualties, and no deaths were recorded in that incident.
According to Iranian officials, more than 400 people — including at least 13 children — have been killed and over 3,000 wounded in Iran since Israel’s military offensive began on June 13. At least 24 people in Israel have died in Iranian strikes.
Despite calls from the US and other international actors for de-escalation, Tuesday’s events highlight the fragile nature of the diplomacy at play — with conflicting narratives, preconditions, and continued military activity undermining efforts toward a lasting ceasefire.
Source: bbc.com
