In a sudden Middle East development, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, halting temporarily a 12-day war that threatened to escalate into a wider regional conflict. The ceasefire follows only hours after Iran conducted a brief missile strike on the American military base at Qatar in response to U.S. rocket strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.
Behind the Ceasefire: Trump’s Personal Involvement
According to Axios reports as quoted by Reuters, the president himself intervened in calming down the tension. He allegedly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally and called for restraint while demanding a ceasefire. Trump’s efforts at diplomacy seem to have paid off since Israel and Iran are said to have agreed to a ceasefire under American mediation.
While Tehran had affirmed its agreement to the ceasefire plan, Israel has yet to formally acknowledge the deal. Nonetheless, both sides’ military activities seemed to have subsided by Tuesday morning (June 24, 2025), which implies that backchannel diplomacy is already in operation.
Retaliation and Restraint: Iran’s Missile Response
Iran’s missile attack on June 23 targeted the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—one of the largest American military installations in the region—as well as another U.S. base in Iraq. This move came after the U.S. carried out airstrikes over the weekend on multiple Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting fears of a larger confrontation.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the missile strikes while also confirming that no casualties occurred. Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari stated that Qatari air defenses successfully intercepted the missiles and emphasized that the targeted areas were away from civilian populations. Iran repeated that on Wednesday, saying that the attacks were proportionate, symbolic, and meant to reflect the extent to which U.S. forces had bombed them.
Diplomatic Echoes and Regional Reactions
The Palestinian Authority reacted to the events by calling for the ceasefire to be applied in Gaza too, in the hope for greater regional peace. In the meantime, the Indian Embassy in Iran stated it closed down its temporary “Operation Sindhu” help desk in Mashhad, signaling the slowing down of emergency evacuation operations and improving the ground situation.
What Lies Ahead?
The day’s ceasefire remains conditional, dependent on the good faith of the parties and ongoing United States mediation. Though Trump’s mediation has managed to put an end to the current hostilities, peace in the area is far from guaranteed to last. Iran and Israel remain worlds apart on matters of consequence, especially nuclear ambitions and proxy forces along Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.
But for now, with missiles disarmed and nerves eased, the ceasefire provides badly needed relief to a region long plagued by conflict. Whether this short-term respite allows follow-through on ongoing discussions or simply serves as a timeout before the next eruption remains to be seen.
