The '12-day war': How did the US reach a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and what happens after?

Report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

A ceasefire agreement has reportedly been reached between Israel and Iran, marking an end to what U.S. President Donald Trump described as a "12-day war." 

How exactly was this agreement forged?

According to reports, Donald Trump's efforts to broker peace began on June 12th, following an American bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran initially refused to negotiate before retaliating, but, as cited by American newspapers, it informed Washington via Qatar of the details of its attack on the Al Udeid Air Base.

Once the retaliatory strike concluded, Iran confirmed it had no intention of conducting further attacks. Washington responded by reaffirming its desire to avoid escalation and expressing its readiness to engage in negotiations.

Trump reportedly contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing his desire to end the conflict. Netanyahu agreed, on the condition that Iran cease rocket fire. Trump then informed the Emir of Qatar and requested his assistance in convincing Iran, leading to an agreement brokered through Qatari-American mediation.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iran was to initiate the ceasefire first, followed by Israel 12 hours later. A formal announcement of the end of the war between the two countries was expected after 24 hours.

However, the agreement officially came into effect at 7:00 AM. 

Since then, both sides have been exchanging accusations of violating the agreement. The broker of the deal, Donald Trump, lashed out at both Iran and Israel for these breaches.

To ensure the ceasefire's continuity, Trump had a heated and direct phone call with Netanyahu, expressing his anger and demanding clear steps to avoid the agreement's collapse. 

According to Axios, Netanyahu responded to Trump's pressure by reducing the scale of the Israeli response to Iran's violation of the agreement.

What happens after the ceasefire?

If the ceasefire holds, observers anticipate that the focus will shift back to nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, with efforts to set a new date for talks. 

According to Iranian observers, any upcoming round of negotiations will be limited to discussing the nuclear file in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, with an emphasis on Tehran's right to continue uranium enrichment without addressing its ballistic missile program or Iranian presence in the region.