Israel says Iran violated ceasefire announced by Trump, orders new strikes

24 June 2025 - 11:41 By Maayan Lubell and Steve Holland
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Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi had earlier said Iran would halt its retaliatory strikes provided Israel stopped attacking as of 4am in Tehran.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi had earlier said Iran would halt its retaliatory strikes provided Israel stopped attacking as of 4am in Tehran.
Image: Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday he had ordered the military to strike Tehran in response to what he said were missiles fired by Iran in a violation of the ceasefire announced hours earlier by US President Donald Trump.

Iran denied violating the ceasefire. The armed forces general staff denied there had been a launch of missiles towards Israel in recent hours, Iran's Nour News reported.

The developments raised early doubts about the ceasefire, intended to end 12 days of war.

Katz said he had ordered the military to “continue high-intensity operations targeting regime assets and terror infrastructure in Tehran” in light of “Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire declared by the president of the US”.

Hours earlier, Trump had posted on Truth Social: “The ceasefire is in effect. Please do not violate it.”

Israel and Iran had confirmed the ceasefire after it was announced by Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had achieved the goals it had set in launching its June 13 surprise attack on Iran to destroy its nuclear programme and missile capabilities.

“Israel thanks President Trump and the US for their support in defence and their participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat,” Netanyahu said.

Iran said its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes and denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran's top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, said its military had forced Israel to “unilaterally accept defeat and accept a ceasefire”.

Iran's forces would “keep their hands on the trigger” to respond to “any act of aggression by the enemy”, it said.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi had earlier said Iran would halt its retaliatory strikes provided Israel stopped attacking at 4am in Tehran.

Global stock markets surged and oil prices tumbled on Tuesday after the announcement of the ceasefire in the hope it heralded a resolution of the war two days after the US joined it by hitting Iranian nuclear sites with huge bunker-busting bombs.

Reuters


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