Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said early on Tuesday that there was no "agreement" on any ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
But he added that if Israel stopped its "illegal aggression" against the Iranian people no later than 4 a.m. Tehran time (0030 GMT) on Tuesday, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards.
"The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire" soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a US military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites.
Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire and heavy Israeli strikes continued in Tehran and other cities early Tuesday.
“As of now, there is NO agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on the social platform X. “However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”
His message was posted at 4:16 am Tehran time.
The exact terms of the ceasefire other than the timeline provided by the Trump administration remained to be seen.
Trump on Monday posted on Truth Social that the 24-hour phased-in ceasefire will begin about midnight Tuesday Eastern time. He said it would bring an “Official END” to the war.
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump posted.
As Trump described it, the ceasefire would start with Iran and then be joined by Israel 12 hours later, with the president writing that the respective sides would “remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL.” The phased-in ceasefire was set to begin Tuesday morning in Israel and Iran and culminate within 24 hours.
“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn't, and never will!” Trump said.
The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump's statement and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
A ceasefire, if it culminates as Trump laid out, would be welcome news for the region and the world. But the situation in the Middle East remains far from stable and it was impossible to predict how longer-term dynamics might be affected. The Israeli and US bombing of Iran certainly has slowed Iran's ability to enrich nuclear material but it might also have steeled Tehran's resolve to breakout toward a bomb.
Trump's announcement comes just before he leaves Tuesday for a NATO summit in the Netherlands, where he will likely make the case that his mix of aggression and diplomacy has succeeded.
Never shy to suggest he deserves the Nobel Peace Price, Trump went so far as to give the conflict between Israel and Iran the name of the “12 day war,” a title that seemed to reference the 1967 “Six Day War” in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
The White House reposted Trump's announcement with a photo of the president holding a red hat that said “Trump was right about everything” in all capital letters.
A senior White House official said Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire. The official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks, said Vice President J D Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels.
However, it's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He had said on social media that Iran would not surrender.
