Trump declares Iran-Israel ceasefire, Iran denies

A “complete and total ceasefire” has been agreed between Israel and Iran, according to Donald Trump.

The US president announced Truth Social, hours after Tehran launched a missile strike on a US army base in Qatar.

In a post shared just after 11 pm UK time, Mr Trump said the first stage of the ceasefire would begin six hours later.

This means both countries could still launch strikes in the meantime, and soon after, Israel announced evacuation orders for two areas in Tehran.

A senior Iranian official told the Reuters news agency that Tehran has agreed to the ceasefire after being persuaded by Qatar.

Mr Trump wrote: “Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World.

“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, 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.’

“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!”

Update: Iran’s foreign minister says Tehran “has no intention” to continue its response, as long as Israel “stops its illegal aggression”.