Trump says ceasefire in effect, criticises Iran, Israel for violations

New Delhi: United States President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was “in effect,” even as his frustration with both countries spilled into public view and accusations of violations mounted on both sides. 

The truce, which the White House has promoted as a diplomatic breakthrough after nearly two weeks of escalating conflict, now faces its greatest test as ground realities, and mutual distrust, threaten to unravel it.

Both Israel and Iran have accused each other of breaking the agreement brokered by Washington, with new missile attacks, deadly airstrikes, and civilian tragedies further complicating efforts to restore stability to the Middle East. Trump’s high-wire diplomacy, characterized by both public rebukes and private interventions, has, for now, paused the most direct hostilities, but the region remains on edge.

Twelve days of war

As the ceasefire took effect Tuesday, Israel’s emergency services released their final assessment of the 12 days of intense fighting with Iran: 1,347 people in Israel had been affected. The death toll stood at 28, with 17 seriously wounded, 29 moderately wounded, 872 lightly wounded, and 401 treated for anxiety-related symptoms. This figure reflects the psychological as well as physical trauma of the conflict, in which entire communities took cover from missile attacks and military strikes that reached unprecedented depths on both sides.

For Iran, the death toll from the conflict, particularly among military leaders and scientists, has also been severe. According to Iranian state media, at least ten nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli attacks since the start of the war, including Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber, a top figure in Iran’s nuclear research apparatus. Saber’s son was reportedly killed days earlier, underscoring the personal and national tragedies that have compounded with every new exchange of fire.

Trump’s exasperation and Netanyahu’s calculus

President Trump’s role has been central and unusually blunt. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he accused both Israel and Iran of failing to uphold the ceasefire’s terms in the immediate hours after its announcement. He reserved special frustration for the timing and sequence of strikes and counter-strikes, suggesting that both sides were risking the diplomatic progress he had engineered.

Yet, by the end of the day, Trump indicated that the “deal was saved,” citing direct conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s office later confirmed that Israel refrained from launching additional, tougher strikes against Iran in response to Trump’s appeal, demonstrating the degree to which Washington’s influence still shapes Israeli security decisions. Israeli officials did acknowledge, however, that they had struck an Iranian radar installation following a missile attack on Israeli territory earlier in the day.

Conflicting claims of violations

The ceasefire’s fragility was immediately apparent as new allegations emerged. Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect, a claim the Iranian military forcefully denied through state media. Conversely, Iranian officials reported civilian casualties from Israeli strikes that occurred just before or during the truce’s supposed start.

A deputy governor in Iran’s Gilan province claimed that an Israeli airstrike before the ceasefire killed nine civilians. Simultaneously, Iran’s Prisons Organisation said it had evacuated inmates from the notorious Evin prison after an Israeli attack, underscoring both the scope of the military campaign and the risks to political prisoners and dual nationals held as bargaining chips in Iran’s wider negotiations with the West.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz accused Iran of “completely violating” the ceasefire by launching missiles more than two hours after the truce came into effect. He said he instructed the Israeli military to resume targeting Iranian government and paramilitary assets, including in Tehran. According to Israeli emergency services, no casualties resulted from these latest missile launches.

Overnight, Israel had already launched more than 100 munitions targeting dozens of sites in Tehran, including missile launchers and military infrastructure, an indication of both the scale and sophistication of Israel’s preemptive efforts to degrade Iran’s capabilities.

Civilian casualties and the Gaza factor

The repercussions of the Israel-Iran confrontation have not been limited to those two countries. In Gaza, where Israel has continued its campaign against Hamas, the violence has remained relentless. On Tuesday, the Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp reported 146 wounded after Israeli forces and drones opened fire on hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks. At least 25 people were killed in the incident, according to witnesses and hospital sources.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of “massacre” as tanks and drones targeted civilians moving toward the aid trucks on Salah al-Din Road. “It was a massacre,” said Ahmed Halawa, a resident. The deaths add to a growing toll in the Gaza Strip, where the Health Ministry claims approximately 56,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, more than half of them women and children.

The continuing violence in Gaza complicates the region’s dynamics, drawing criticism from Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries, who have called for a broader peace that addresses the Palestinian issue at the heart of the region’s instability.

Global reaction: Support, caution, and diplomatic fallout

The ceasefire announcement was greeted with cautious optimism and pointed warnings from regional and global actors. Egypt and Saudi Arabia welcomed Trump’s mediation, calling it a “critical point” for ending hostilities and restoring peace. Both urged Israel and Iran to fully honor the ceasefire and practice restraint.

Turkiye, while welcoming the truce, said it was closely monitoring reports of violations and called for a lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue as essential for regional peace. French President Emmanuel Macron raised the alarm that the war had increased the risk of Iran secretly continuing its uranium enrichment programs for potential nuclear weapons. Macron reiterated France’s commitment to negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear arms, warning that the risk “has, it’s true, increased with what has happened recently.”

Qatar found itself at the center of an international incident after an Iranian missile attack targeted the Al Udeid Air Base, a sprawling hub for American forces in the region. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani condemned the attack as a “scar” on relations with Tehran and insisted that Qatar would respond through diplomatic and legal means, having intercepted all but one of the missiles. 

The Qatari Foreign Ministry later summoned the Iranian ambassador, stressing that the attack was a violation of international law and the country’s sovereignty.

The fate of Iran’s nuclear program

Amid the swirl of military and diplomatic drama, the fate of Iran’s nuclear program looms large. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, briefing the British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, suggested that Israeli and US strikes had destroyed “the majority” of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, but cautioned that “not everything” had been eliminated. Lapid speculated that some uranium could have been smuggled out of targeted facilities, though the options for hiding such material remain limited.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council responded by praising the military for its conduct during the war, while warning that its armed forces “will be ready to give a decisive and regretful response to any act of aggression by the enemy.” This statement, coupled with claims of holding the line during the conflict, signaled that Tehran believes the ceasefire will likely hold—at least in the immediate term—while still reserving the right to respond to future threats.

Evacuations and the humanitarian response

The conflict’s reach extended far beyond Iran and Israel. French authorities confirmed that a military aircraft evacuated 101 French nationals from Israel to Cyprus, with further flights planned. The French Foreign Ministry noted that priority was being given to those with urgent medical or humanitarian needs, but commercial routes through Jordan and Egypt remained open for others seeking to leave the conflict zone.

Meanwhile, Iran reported moving all inmates out of Evin prison, known for holding political prisoners and Western nationals, following the Israeli strike. The Prisons Organisation said repairs would be made, but the move was also seen as an attempt to avoid casualties among high-profile detainees and defuse possible international outrage.

The ceasefire’s uncertain future

The ceasefire remains on a knife’s edge. Trump’s intervention temporarily averted an immediate escalation, but the underlying drivers of the conflict, mutual suspicion, proxy warfare, nuclear ambitions, and shifting regional alliances, remain unresolved. The White House insists that the deal is still alive, and regional actors have called for restraint. Yet, as the latest round of missile exchanges and public recriminations show, peace in the Middle East remains a deeply fragile achievement.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that Israel’s war “goals were attained,” including the destruction of much of Iran’s nuclear and missile program and damage to Tehran’s military leadership. He warned, however, that Israel would respond “forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire.” For his part, Trump has positioned himself as the indispensable dealmaker, while at the same time publicly criticizing both sides for endangering the agreement and global stability.