Iran launched missile attacks Monday on a US military base in Qatar in retaliation for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and it was seen as Tehran’s readiness to de-escalate.

Tehran had already warned Washington in advance of the attack.

US President Donald Trump thanked Iran for giving the US and allies “early notice” of Monday's retaliatory missile strike. He expressed hope that Tehran had "gotten it all out of their system'” and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war.

Leon Panetta, former CIA director and defense secretary, said Iran's restrained response suggests that “their ability to respond has probably been damaged pretty badly.”

He also said it's a potential signal “they're not interested in escalating the war, either with Israel or the United States.”

Trump said Iran launched 14 missiles at the Al Udeid 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.

Trump said 13 of the Iranian missiles “were knocked down,” by US air defence systems while one was “'set free' because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction.”

Hours before the attack, the US embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website urging American citizens to “shelter in place until further notice.” The Qatari government issued an extraordinary order to shut its busy airspace.

Tehran said its missile attack on the air base in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the US on Iranian nuclear sites this weekend.

Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.

Iran’s announcement was made on state television as martial music played. A caption on the screen called it “a mighty and successful response by the armed forces of Iran to America's aggression.”

Hours later, Trump announced that a "complete and total" ceasefire between Israel and Iran will go into force, appearing to suggest that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process.

"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'," he wrote on his Truth Social site.

Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X early on Tuesday: “As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around. As of now, there is NO "agreement" on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. 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. The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.”

Later, Araghchi posted: “The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4am. Together with all Iranians, I thank our brave Armed Forces who remain ready to defend our dear country until their last drop of blood, and who responded to any attack by the enemy until the very last minute.”

Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4am in Tehran. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Iranian cities until shortly before that time. Israel in other conflicts has stepped up its strikes just before ceasefires took effect.

Tel Aviv has also earlier signalled it wants to wrap up.

"We are not there yet but it looks more like a matter of days than weeks," Eran Lerman, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser, told Reuters on Monday in comments that chimed with the views of three Israeli officials. "The end game is not that far from an Israeli point of view."

After the US struck Iran’s nuclear sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told reporters that Israel was close to meeting its objectives and had no desire to prolong the operation.

"We won't pursue our actions beyond what is needed," he had said. "When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop."

The White House has maintained that the Saturday bombing of nuclear sites helped get the Israelis to agree to the ceasefire and that the Qatari government helped to broker the deal.

It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender.

(With inputs from Reuters and The Associated Press)