Israel calls off Trump’s ‘ceasefire’, orders fresh strikes on Tehran after Iran’s alleged breach

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday ordered fresh military strikes on Tehran, accusing Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement brokered hours earlier by US President Donald Trump. The ceasefire, which aimed to end 12 days of hostilities, appears to be unraveling with renewed attacks reported in both countries.

Katz said Israel would “continue high-intensity operations targeting regime assets and terror infrastructure in Tehran” in response to what he called Iran’s “blatant violation” of the ceasefire. His statement came after reports of multiple Iranian missile launches that killed three people in Beersheba, southern Israel.

Iran, however, denied launching missiles after the ceasefire came into effect. The ISNA news agency reported that claims of a post-ceasefire strike were false, while the semi-official SNN agency said Tehran had fired its final volley before the ceasefire began.

Hours earlier, Trump had posted on Truth Social: “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!” The ceasefire was reportedly negotiated during Trump’s call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who later confirmed Israel’s agreement, stating that the country had achieved its objective of destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.

Muted commitment from Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had said Iran would stop retaliatory strikes if Israel halted attacks by 4.00 am Tehran time. “If Israel stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people... we have no intention of continuing our response,” Araqchi said on X, adding that a final decision would follow.

Despite these assurances, fresh missile attacks were reported. Explosions were heard near Tel Aviv and Beersheba, with Israel's military confirming six waves of missiles and emergency services reporting three fatalities—the first in Israel since the ceasefire was announced.

In Iran, nine people were reported killed in an attack in the northern part of the country on Tuesday morning, further raising doubts over the ceasefire’s viability.

The conflict began on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, prompting missile and drone retaliation from Tehran. Over the weekend, the US joined the war effort, deploying heavy bunker-busting bombs on underground nuclear sites in Iran.

The Trump administration claimed the strikes were aimed solely at dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News, “Iran is now incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they had—we destroyed it.”

Trump, in an earlier social media post, hinted at broader goals, including regime change. “We do not want to repeat history,” he said, referencing the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. He also thanked Tehran for its “early notice” of an earlier attack on a US base in Qatar that caused no casualties, calling it “a very weak response.”

While Trump cited intelligence suggesting Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, US intelligence agencies have maintained that Iran was not pursuing one at the time.

Efforts at diplomacy
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reportedly played a key role in securing Tehran’s initial agreement to the ceasefire. US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, were in direct and indirect contact with Iran.

Global markets initially responded positively to the ceasefire news. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% late Monday, and US crude oil prices fell to their lowest in over a week, reflecting hopes of reduced supply disruption in the region. However, as fighting resumed, investor optimism may prove short-lived.
(With Reuters inputs.)