President Donald Trump said on Monday, June 23, on social media that Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours.
The official news agency called Trump a ‘liar’ in a report that said, “There were no immediate comments from the Iranian side.”
“Those who know the Iranian people and their history know that the Iranian nation isn’t a nation that surrenders,” said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump claimed that the ceasefire would bring an “Official END” to the war, a major change in the hostilities that follows a US strike over the weekend on three Iranian nuclear sites.
“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR,'” Trump posted.
The announcement came after Iran attempted to retaliate for the U.S. assault with a Monday missile strike aimed at the largest US military installation in the region, which is located in the Gulf nation of Qatar.
Trump separately thanked Iran’s ruling theocracy on social media for giving the U.S. and allies “early notice” of Monday’s retaliatory missile strike.
The president expressed hope that Tehran − with its reprisal for the US bombardment of three key Iranian nuclear facilities − had “gotten it all out of their ‘system'” and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war.
“I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,” Trump said on social media. “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.”
The Iranian attack on US forces at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base marked Tehran’s first act of direct retaliation against the US since Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Trump said Iran launched 14 missiles at the base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the US military’s Central Command and was a major staging ground during the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The base houses some 8,000 US troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of those wars. The president said 13 of the Iranian missiles “were knocked down,” by US air defense systems while one was “‘set free’ because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction.”
Hours before Iran launched its attack on Monday, the US Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to “shelter in place until further notice.” The Qatari government issued an extraordinary order to shut its busy airspace.
Iran has not retaliated against Trump for ordering the death of Brigadier General Qasem Soleimani, who was the commander of the Quds Force when he was assassinated by the United States in January 2020.
The people claiming Trump should get a Nobel Prize for this ceasefire… even though it hasn’t started yet, it is incredibly stupid.
Israel has a history of breaking them… and I still fear a false flag could drag America into a bigger conflict.
As for Iran’s future, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday appeared to play down Trump calling into question the future of Iran’s ruling theocracy, seemingly contradicting his administration’s earlier calls on Tehran to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!”
Leavitt said Trump’s “posture and our military posture has not changed. The president was just simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking.”
“We warn the foolish American president, who has plundered the interests and security of the American people for the survival of the evil Zionist regime, that if he repeats aggression against Iran, he will receive more crushing and regrettable responses that will serve as a lesson for history, ” said Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since June 13. 2025, following the death of his predecessor, Hossein Salami, in an Israeli airstrike.
Trump openly discussed killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who exerts ultimate authority while a president and parliament handle some governance functions.
Russia warned that if Khamenei was killed, it will lead to serious and dangerous consequences around the world.
The Kremlin says any attempt to remove Khamenei could cause chaos and make things much worse in the Middle East, and that regime change in Iran is unacceptable.
Mojtaba Khamenei is one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment headed by his father and one of three people the Ayatollah named as candidates to succeed him as leader of the Islamic Republic.
Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov, the spokesperson for Russian president Vladimir Putin, said even talking about removing Iran’s leaders is wrong.
Russia and Iran are close allies that signed a strategic partnership deal in January 2025.
“Trump’s latest gaffe, misspelling his own name while stumbling over a basic thank-you to the B-2 pilots, proves once again he’s a reckless, incompetent leader unfit to represent the American people,” said Richard Angwin.