Photo: President Donald Trump arrives with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to speak from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump on June 23 announced that Israel and Iran have agreed to a cease-fire, declaring the beginning of an end to what he referred to as “the 12-Day War.”
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE … for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform just after 6 p.m. EDT.
The president wrote that both sides would wind down their final military operations within six hours and begin what he expected to be a “peaceful and respectful” cease-fire on both sides. After 24 hours, the conflict will be declared over, Trump said.
If that comes to fruition, it will mark a rapid de-escalation of a conflict that some feared could spiral into an international war. Trump thanked the involved parties for their dedication to avoiding that outcome.
“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,’” Trump wrote. “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!”
On June 21, Trump announced that the United States had carried out targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow, in response to estimates that Tehran was close to obtaining enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear weapon.
The move immediately prompted international fears of an escalation that could lead to a global conflict between the United States’ and Iran’s allies. Many in Congress called for the legislature to be involved in the process, such as through a formal declaration of war—the last instance of which was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942.
Following the U.S. strikes, Iran on June 23 launched a small-scale retaliatory strike on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, home to the United States’ largest military installation in the region.
Afterward, Trump said that the Iranians had informed the United States of the pending attack, ensuring no U.S. casualties and minimal damage to the base.
“Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on June 23.
The president said the Iranian missile barrage consisted of 14 missiles, of which Trump said 13 were shot down and one was allowed to continue in a “nonthreatening direction.”
“I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ’system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE,” Trump wrote.
“I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost and nobody to be injured.”
Following the attack, Qatar’s foreign ministry reported that all missiles had been intercepted, and warned that the small Gulf nation retained the right to retaliate for what it called a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the state of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter.”
“We affirm that Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression, in line with international law,” the ministry said in a statement.
Also on June 23, Trump delivered a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate President pro tempore Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) informing Congress of the June 21 strikes, in line with Trump’s obligations under the War Powers Act.
“The strike was taken to advance vital United States national interests, and in collective self-defense of our ally, Israel, by eliminating Iran’s nuclear program,” Trump wrote.
The U.S. strikes were conducted after Israel said that Iran could be just weeks away from obtaining enough fissile material—referring to uranium-235 enriched to 90 percent or higher—to build a nuclear weapon. A report by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency found that Iran had already enriched the radioactive isotope to 60 percent, making it far easier and faster to achieve the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade uranium.
Despite criticisms from within his party, Trump has maintained that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is essential to both U.S. security interests and those of Israel.
“The strike was limited in scope and purpose. … The mission was planned and executed in a manner designed to minimize casualties, deter future attacks, and limit the risk of escalation,” Trump wrote.
Savannah Hulsey Pointer contributed to this report.
