U.S. President Donald Trump accused both Iran and Israel of violating a ceasefire he brokered to halt their 12-day conflict, urging strict adherence to the truce in a Truth Social post at 6:02 PM ET on June 23. “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran.
All planes will turn around and head home… Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” Trump wrote, rebuking both nations for continued hostilities. The statement follows U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan on June 21, which Trump claimed “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on June 23, aimed to de-escalate a conflict that killed 224 Iranians and 24 Israelis since June 12. Israel accused Iran of launching 40 ballistic missiles post-truce, including a strike on Beersheba that killed five civilians. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied violations, claiming Israel’s airstrikes on Tehran’s suburbs on June 22 breached the agreement. Trump’s direct call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu halted IDF jets targeting Tehran’s Parchin complex, while Iran paused missile launches pending compliance.
The U.S. strikes, dubbed “Midnight Hammer,” involved six B-2 bombers and 30 Tomahawk missiles, causing “very significant damage” to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, per the Pentagon’s Pete Hegseth cited by CNN. The IAEA confirmed Natanz’s underground facility was destroyed, though Iran denied radioactive leaks. The ceasefire’s fragility has global implications, with Brent crude oil dropping 2% to $67.17 per barrel on hopes of stability. Trump’s intervention, while credited with averting a wider war, drew criticism from U.S. Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer for bypassing Congress. Iran’s parliament’s vote to close the Strait of Hormuz, pending Supreme Leader Khamenei’s approval, threatens 20% of global oil trade.