On Monday, June 23, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire, marking the end of the “12-day war” between the two nations. The conflict first began on June 13, when Israel bombed Iran, launching high-speed attacks on Iran’s nuclear and military structure and deploying warplanes and drones to the country. Previously, these drones had been used to assault Iran’s key facilities, top generals, and top scientists. In the following days, tensions escalated rapidly as both nations exchanged retaliatory attacks, drawing global concern over the possibility of a wider regional war. Allies of both sides debated whether to intervene, specifically in the United States, where controversies rose on whether or not to back Israel.
Trump’s decision became clear on June 21, when he announced that U.S. forces had bombed Iran’s three main nuclear sites. He explained that this act was done to destroy “Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one sponsor of terror.” According to American and Israeli leaders, Iran was on the path to constructing a nuclear weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu commented on the growing concerns, urging that Israel’s “very survival” was at stake. However, such claims have led to questions of whether Iran truly was on the path to developing nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which works to promote the safe use of nuclear technologies and serves as a facilitator for Iran’s use, stated that any evidence gathered by them could “hardly be a basis for any military action.”
Other critics condemned the action for different reasons, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed that Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear sites was grounds for impeachment. She, along with several House Democrats, slammed the strike as unconstitutional, using Article 1 to back their claims. Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to “declare war.” In the past, presidents of both parties have struck other countries without Congressional approval, raising questions about the extent of Presidential power. Supporters of Trump’s decision, which include conservative activist Charlie Kirk, claimed that Trump had no choice. Kirk argued that Trump had been clear in enforcing that Iran would never get a nuclear weapon, but Iran decided to “forego diplomacy in pursuit of a bomb.” Praising the actions, he declared that Trump had acted with “prudence and decisiveness.”
Iran was furious at the attacks, and their parliament immediately sprang into action. Iran’s Foreign Ministry admitted that its “nuclear installations had been badly damaged,” and that the attacks, along with Israeli strikes, had set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons for years. However, Iran still vowed to continue its nuclear program, defending that it needed it for civilian energy purposes. Then, the parliament unanimously voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA in hopes of hardening Iran’s negotiating position on cooperation with the West. In an attempt to harm the U.S. economy, the parliament also voted to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoints. Around 20% of global oil trade passes through the Strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Experts claimed that if Iran were to cut off access to the Strait, it could spike oil prices by 30-50% immediately, with gas prices rising as much as 5% per gallon.
As threats increased with the risk of wider conflict and a possible war between Iran and the U.S., diplomatic pressure led to the surprising ceasefire announcement on June 23. Trump explained that the ceasefire would begin with Iran halting attacks, and then Israel would join 12 hours later. He demanded that both sides remain “peaceful and respectful,” and the ceasefire was set to begin the next day. After Trump announced the ceasefire on X (formerly Twitter), the White House reposted it with an image of a red hat which read: “Trump was right about everything.”
However, ceasefire violation claims quickly erupted from both sides. Israel claimed that Iran had been the first to break the truce, explaining that Iran had allegedly shot two ballistic missiles towards northern Israel at 10:30 am, which was two and a half hours after the ceasefire was scheduled to begin. To retaliate, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, ordered the military to conduct high-intensity operations against targets in Tehran. In response, Iran’s ISNA news agency denied the claims, stating that “news about a missile attack by Iran on Israel after ceasefire took effect is false.” Upon finding out, Trump condemned Israel’s actions, saying that Israel had violated the ceasefire and that “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen.” Following a tense phone call with Netanyahu, Trump announced that the issue would be resolved and that Israeli aircraft would be called off, allowing the ceasefire to resume.
Although the ceasefire between Israel and Iran put an end to direct hostilities and the war, it has left lingering uncertainty across the region and all around the world. With both sides taking the blame for violations, many in the Middle East fear that the ceasefire is temporary. President Trump’s decision to intervene militarily, along with his role in brokering peace, has led to mixed opinions, reigniting debates about presidential war powers, U.S. foreign policy, and the role of diplomacy in worldwide conflicts. As the international community watches closely, the coming weeks will reveal whether the ceasefire holds or if the Middle East is still on the brink of a wider war.
