Netanyahu agrees to Iran ceasefire after airstrikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, stating that all the objectives of the military operation were met. The 12-day conflict saw Israel target key elements of Iran’s military and nuclear programs. Netanyahu thanked the U.S. President Donald Trump for proposing the ceasefire and for his continued support of Israel's security interests.
Netanyahu told Israel’s security cabinet that the operation against Iran had achieved its main objectives. These included damaging Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, striking military leadership and government targets, and gaining air dominance over Tehran.
“We have reached our goals. Israel will respond forcefully to any breach of the ceasefire,” Netanyahu said.
According to a senior White House official, Donald Trump personally led the talks with Netanyahu on Monday. The ceasefire was confirmed shortly after those discussions. Simultaneously, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff held communications with Iranian officials—some directly and others through indirect channels.
Trump later announced that a "complete and total" ceasefire between Israel and Iran would begin within hours, despite earlier threats of further escalation from both sides.
Events leading to the ceasefire announcementThe sequence of events began when Iran fired missiles at a U.S. air base. No casualties were reported. This came in response to U.S. airstrikes that dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.
The White House official stated that Trump reacted quickly to the escalation, instructing his team to initiate conversations with both Iran and Israel. “Get me Bibi. We’re going to make peace,” Trump reportedly said.
Although the U.S. had held talks with Iran multiple times in the weeks leading up to the airstrikes, negotiations fell apart due to Iran’s refusal to stop uranium enrichment, as reported by Reuters.
Trump had initially announced on June 19 that he would decide on the use of American military force within two weeks. However, by June 21, he had authorized the strikes. The decision to attack Iranian nuclear sites marked a major shift from Trump’s previous stance against deep foreign military involvement.
The official said Trump was careful to keep U.S. interests at the forefront and wanted to avoid prolonged entanglement. “He has shown restraint while making U.S. priorities clear,” the official noted.