An hour after he claimed the ceasefire in the Middle East had been violated by both parties to the war, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that Israel will not be attacking Iran and the latter will not rebuild nuclear facilities.
"ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly “Plane Wave” to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he wrote on Truth Social.
"IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES," he added.
Trump earlier announced that both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire agreement he had announced earlier. He said he wasn't happy with Iran but was "really unhappy with Israel".
"Israel, do not drop those bombs. If you do it, it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now," he added.
Israel-Iran ceasefire
Israel, Iran and the United States on Tuesday agreed to an uneasy ceasefire.
Trump said the truce would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran unilaterally halting all operations first. He said Israel would follow suit 12 hours later. He wrote on Truth Social: "The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it".
{{/usCountry}}Trump said the truce would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran unilaterally halting all operations first. He said Israel would follow suit 12 hours later. He wrote on Truth Social: "The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it".
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Israel Iran war live: Iran reports attacks despite Trump's ultimatum to Israel
However, hours after the ceasefire, Israel claimed it intercepted two Iranian missiles – a claim disputed by Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran sought to claim the upper hand in the war, saying it had compelled Israel to "unilaterally halt its aggression".
The Israeli government, however, had another version. It said: “Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the cabinet... to announce that Israel had achieved all the objectives of Operation 'Rising Lion' and much more.”
It added that it had removed "an immediate dual existential threat: nuclear and ballistic".
"Israel will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire," the statement added.
Iran also claimed victory in the conflict. The Supreme National Security Council said Iran's actions against Israel led to "victory and triumph that compelled the enemy to regret, accept defeat, and unilaterally halt its aggression".
With inputs from AP, AFP, Reuters