President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a tentative ceasefire that would begin around midnight Washington time on Monday.Trump, who made the surprise announcement on his Truth Social platform days after ordering airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, said the accord is aimed at a lasting end to the fighting.“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.’” An Iranian official confirmed Tehran had agreed to the US-proposed ceasefire, Reuters reported. There was no immediate comment from Israel. If the deal sticks as Trump described, it would end a conflict that had fueled fears of widening violence across the Middle East, marking a dramatic foreign policy success.Vice President JD Vance said the president had been “working the phones constantly” Monday with a goal of getting an agreement. “The president wants to see the Middle East become peaceful and prosperous,” he said.Details of the timing of exactly when each side would stop fighting weren’t immediately clear from Trump’s post.West Texas Intermediate crude fell as much as 5% after Trump’s comments. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% in early trading, while equity contracts also pointed to gains in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney. The dollar edged lower against major currencies.“For now, I think this is going to hold, and I think you will have an end to the war,” said Dennis Ross, who was former President Bill Clinton’s envoy to the region and is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Iran has no interest in resuming anything soon.”Around the time Trump made the announcement, Iranian media reported powerful explosions in Tehran and several other cities. Israeli officials reported they’d intercepted Iranian drones, as well. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is not seeking to escalate tensions but is prepared to respond to any further US aggression.His announcement came just hours after Iran fired missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where US Central Command has its regional headquarters, after promising it would respond “proportionately and decisively” to the weekend bombing by US forces of three nuclear facilities. Qatar said the Iranian missile barrage was intercepted and the base had been evacuated in advance. Trump thanked Iran for the advance warning and the limited strike.That news pushed oil below $70 a barrel and boosted US stocks.The conflict began 10 days ago when Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear and missile installations and military leaders. Iran has responded with several days of missile strikes on Israel. After the attack on Qatar, Trump posted, he added: “CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!”Speaking to Fox News after Trump announced the ceasefire, Vance said that the US bombing over the weekend had met its objectives.“We know that they cannot build a nuclear weapon,” Vance said, adding that Iran’s existing stock of highly enriched uranium was “buried” by the attack. International monitors have said they don’t know where that material is after Iran said earlier this month it would move it.“if Iran is desperate to build a nuclear weapon in the future, then they’re going to have to deal with a very, very powerful American military,” Vance said.Iran’s move on Monday appeared to be “a largely symbolic retaliation,” said Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg Economics’ chief emerging-market economist. “Plenty of warning was given — Qatar shut its airspace and the US issued warnings to citizens.”Iranian officials also suggested the move had a symbolic element. The number of missiles fired matched the number of bombs deployed by the US against the nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, and the Qatar strike “poses no danger” to a “friendly and brotherly country,” the state-run IRNA news agency said.Israel says its war against Iran aims to prevent the country from acquiring atomic weapons, a risk also cited by Trump to justify US involvement. Iran denies ever having sought a nuclear bomb.Qatar Closes Airspace As Iran Crisis Impact On Airlines Mounts. Read more on World by NDTV Profit.