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LAST UPDATE | 24 Jun
US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump said that both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire announced on Monday night, but that he is “really unhappy” with Israel.
However, he then commented that “both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the war, equally!”
Trump also said it was his “great honour to destroy all nuclear facilities and capability, and then, stop the war!”
The Israeli military meanwhile said the “campaign against Iran is not over” and that it is “entering a new phase based on the achievements of the current one”.
“Now the focus shifts back to Gaza,” added the head of Israel’s military, Eyal Zamir.
Elsewhere, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced the “end of the 12-day war imposed” by Israel.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said he is unhappy with both countries, but that he is “really unhappy” with Israel, who he said “unloaded” bombs right after the ceasefire was agreed.
Here’s how things unfolded throughout the day.
Good morning – Jane Moore here. Welcome to our coverage of the developing situation in the Middle East.
Just hours after US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was now in effect, it appears that is no longer the case.
Israel has accused Iran of violating the agreement after its military detected incoming missiles from Iran.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates over the course of the day.
In brief, here is what we know so far:
The chief of general staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said it will “strike with force” in response to Iran’s alleged violation of the ceasefire.
“In light of the severe violation of the ceasefire carried out by the Iranian regime, we will strike with force,” Eyal Zamir said.
הרמטכ"ל, רב-אלוף אייל זמיר, בהערכת מצב כעת: "לאור הפרת הפסקת האש החמורה שבוצעה ע"י המשטר האיראני. נתקוף בעוצמה"
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 24, 2025
Amid the alleged violation of the ceasefire, world leaders are continuing to welcome the agreement, which was announced by US President Donald Trump last night.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said that the continent “welcomes” the announcement, calling it “an important step towards restoring stability in a region in tension”.
“This must be our collective priority,” she said on X, urging Iran to “engage seriously in a credible diplomatic process”.
Russia also welcomed the announcement this morning. “If a ceasefire has indeed been achieved, this can only be welcomed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Moscow hoped “that this will be a sustainable ceasefire”.
Iran has denied it launched missiles at Israel in the “last few hours”.
The general staff of the Iranian army “denied the launch of missiles from Iran to the occupied territories (Israel) in the last few hours”, state television reported.
Before the ceasefire was announced last night, Israel and Iran continued to exchange missile strikes.
This morning, emergency services in Israel said at least four people were killed by an Iranian strike.
The Magen David Adom rescue service said three people were pronounced dead at the scene of a strike in the southern city of Beersheba, while a fourth was added in an update to its figures.
Rescue teams were seen at the site of this strike this morning.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Summons Iranian Ambassador, Reiterates Qatar’s Strong Condemnation of Violation of Its Sovereignty and Airspace#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/kRDTv5VGNG
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) June 24, 2025
Qatar summoned the Iranian ambassador this morning after Iran launched an attack on a US air base in the country last night.
The foreign ministry expressed its “strong condemnation” of the attack and repeated that it “retains the right to respond to this egregious violation”, a statement said.
Bright flashes lit up the night sky and blasts echoed across Doha in an attack that followed the US bombing three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
The missiles targeted Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest US military facility in the Middle East, in what Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
Air traffic was suspended over Qatar, neighbouring Bahrain and Kuwait for a period of time, but Qatar later confirmed that there were no deaths or injuries.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz has reiterated that he has instructed the IDF, in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “to respond forcefully to the violation of the ceasefire by Iran through intense strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran”.
“The Iranian regime grossly violated the ceasefire declared by the U.S. President and launched missiles toward Israel, and in accordance with the government’s policy as determined – we will respond forcefully to any violation,” Katz said in a post on X.
הנחיתי את צה"ל, בתיאום עם רה"מ, להגיב בעוצמה על הפרת הפסקת האש על ידי איראן בתקיפות עצימות נגד מטרות משטר בלב טהרן.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) June 24, 2025
המשטר האיראני הפר באופן חמור את הפסקת האש שהוכרזה על ידי נשיא ארה"ב ושיגר טילים לעבר ישראל, ובהתאם למדיניות הממשלה כפי שנקבעה - נגיב בעוצמה על כל הפרה.
The Israeli Embassy in London has shared an image on X which it claims shows the rocket fired at Israel by Iran during the ceasefire.
“This is a rocket fired at northern Israel – not during war, but during a so-called ceasefire. Iran continues to show its true nature as a terror state and a regional threat,” the post reads.
This is a rocket fired at northern Israel - not during war, but during a so-called ceasefire.
— Israel in the UK 🇮🇱🤝🇬🇧 (@IsraelinUK) June 24, 2025
Iran continues to show its true nature as a terror state and a regional threat. pic.twitter.com/L9jl0CjuDG
Iran’s prison authority has “transferred” prisoners out of Evin prison after it was hit by Israeli strikes.
The prison authority “transferred the inmates who were serving their sentences in this prison (Evin) to other facilities within Tehran province… to safeguard the rights of the prisoners and to provide space for emergency response teams”, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.
Local media reported the process had been completed, but it is not clear how many prisoners were transferred.
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said he has written to Iran’s foreign minister to propose a meeting after the announcement of the ceasefire.
In a post on X this morning, Rafael Grossi said Iran resuming cooperation with the IAEA could lead to “a diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy” over the country’s nuclear programme.
I welcome announcements on Iran situation. Resuming cooperation with @IAEAorg is key to a successful agreement.
— Rafael Mariano Grossi (@rafaelmgrossi) June 24, 2025
I’ve written to @araghchi stressing this step can lead to a diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy over 🇮🇷 nuclear program and proposed to meet soon.
Iran’s armed forces have now accused Israel of launching strikes at the country after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire between the two sides.
“The Zionist regime launched three waves of attacks on sites in Iranian territory until 9:00 am (6.30am Irish time) today,” a spokesman for the armed forces command was quoted as saying on state TV, without providing further details.
Qatar’s prime minister has said Iran’s missile strikes targeting the US base on Qatari soil were an “unacceptable” attack on the country.
“The attack on the State of Qatar is an unacceptable act, especially that the State of Qatar has been making great diplomatic efforts in order to have the situation deescalated,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told reporters.
The Israeli military has yet to confirm whether strikes ordered by defence minister Israel Katz have been launched.
Here are the latest images from Tehran.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the ceasefire between Israel and Iran must be “underpinned by diplomacy”.
He was speaking in Dublin ahead of a Cabinet meeting this morning. His comments were made as Israel accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by launching missile strikes.
Harris told reporters that the only way to bring safety and security to the Middle East is through diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation.
“Yesterday, when we had very extensive discussions in Brussels on this matter, we’re very clear that Europe is ready to play a role in trying to help create that space for that sustained diplomacy,” he said.
“So we need to see regional stability, and we need to now see the ceasefire underpinned by sustained diplomacy.”
The Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister welcomed the announcement of the temporary ceasefire, calling it “a good thing”.
A cessation of violence, of hostilities, to allow space for diplomacy and dialogue is a good thing. But of course, there’s a real fragility to this.
“At the moment, we have agreement for a temporary ceasefire. We hope that that turns into a permanent ceasefire, but that’s what’s in place at the moment.”
He said “there isn’t an hour to lose” in relation to reaching a sustained diplomacy in the region.
“I certainly know from my engagement with the Jordanians, with the Saudis, with the Egyptians, with the Qataris yesterday, there’s a real desire for that in the region.”
He added that Europe can play “a very helpful role” in relation to this, and reiterated comments he made in Brussels yesterday.
“Nobody wants to see Iran with nuclear weapons, but actually, the greatest progress that’s ever been achieved in terms of keeping Iran away from nuclear weapons has been done through diplomacy, not through military aggression, and we need to get back to that dialogue now.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has said the situation surrounding Iran “clearly remains volatile and unstable”.
“I think it’s a very good thing that President Trump is calling for a ceasefire,” Macron told reporters during a visit to Norway, adding that “the last few minutes have shown that the situation remains very fragile”.
He also said the risk that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium secretly following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites “has indeed increased”.
Macron called it “one of the main risks for the region and the international community” and added that “we must absolutely prevent Iran from going down this path”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Iran and Israel to abide by the US-brokered ceasefire, after the two sides accused each other of continuing hostilities this morning.
“We call on both Iran and Israel to heed this call from the American president,” Merz told parliament. “If this ceasefire succeeds… then it will be a very positive development that can make the Middle East and the world safer.”
Iran has said at least 610 people have been killed and over 4,700 wounded in the Islamic republic since the start of the war with Israel on 13 June.
“Over the past 12 days, hospitals… have been confronted with extremely harrowing scenes,” health ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on X, announcing the increase from the previously reported toll of more than 400 dead and 3,056 wounded.
Donald Trump has said that both Israel and Iran violated the US-brokered ceasefire that he announced last night.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Marine One on his way to a Nato summit in The Hague, the US President said he is unhappy with both countries, but that he is “really unhappy” with Israel.
“These guys have gotta calm down. Ridiculous,” he said.
Trump also said that he “didn’t like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal”.
In a subsequent post on Truth Social, Trump said it would be “a major violation” of the ceasefire if Israel were to drop any bombs on Iran now.
“BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!” he wrote.
Trump also told reporters that he has to get Israel to “calm down”.
“I don’t like the fact that Israel went out this morning at all and I’m gonna see if I can stop it,” he said.
He also reiterated that he believes both sides had violated the ceasefire, but added “I’m not sure they did it intentionally”.
Trump said he believes Iran is still committed to peace.
“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs the likes of which we’ve never seen before.”
He said he was really unhappy with Israel going out “because of one rocket that didn’t land” that may have been fired mistakenly.
Before leaving the reporters to board Marine One, Trump said: “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
President Trump on Israel and Iran: "We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing." pic.twitter.com/xrztmebALZ
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 24, 2025
Eoghan Dalton here, stepping in for Jane Moore for a bit. We’re continuing our coverage of the developing situation in the Middle East.
Moments after he accused both countries of violating the truce, Donald Trump has said that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel is now “in effect”.
His latest comments from his Truth Social platform.
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” Trump posted.
Several minutes later, Trump posted again: “IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES!”
It’s not clear how long this apparent truce will hold.
Iranian media are reporting explosions in the country’s north – further details are expected shortly.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said that they had taught Israel an “unforgettable lesson” with a last-minute missile salvo fired just before the ceasefire deal announced by Trump was meant to take effect.
The Guards said in a statement that “in the final moments before the ceasefire was imposed on the enemy”, they had struck “military and logistical centres of the Zionist regime across the occupied territories (with 14 missiles, delivering a historic and unforgettable lesson to the Zionist enemy”.
Thanks for staying with our coverage so far.
Jane Moore here – I’ll be bringing you the latest developments as they happen for the next while.
We mentioned earlier that Iranian media had reported explosions in the north of the country – despite Donald Trump saying that the ceasefire was now “in effect”.
The Etemad and Ham Mihan newspapers said explosions were heard and air defences were activated in Babol and Babolsar, two towns about 200 kilometres northeast of Tehran on the Caspian Sea.
They said the source of the explosions was not immediately clear.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu spoke over the phone following the US President’s remarks that he was “really unhappy with Israel”.
American news website Axios also carried the story, quoting a senior Israeli source in its reporting that Netanyahu told Trump that he could cancel the attack and that some response was needed for Iran’s alleged violation of the ceasefire.
The source told Axios that it was decided to significantly scale back the strike and cancel the attack on a large number of targets, with Israel striking one radar system outside of Tehran.
Trump subsequently posted on Truth Social that the ceasefire was now in effect.
Iranian media has said that an Israeli strike on Monday killed a senior commander of the country’s Basij paramilitary force, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“The commander of Basij counterintelligence protection forces was martyred in a Zionist regime attack,” the Fars news agency said, citing a statement from the IRGC.
While, according to Trump, the ceasefire between Israel and Iran is now in effect, Palestinians in Gaza are still being killed on a daily basis.
Gaza’s civil defence agency has said that 25 people were killed by Israeli forces today while waiting for aid in the besieged territory.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 25 people were killed and dozens wounded when “Israeli forces targeted civilian gatherings near Al-Alam and Al-Shakoush areas with bullets and tank shells as they attempted to reach an aid centre in northwest Rafah, about two kilometres from a US-backed aid distribution point.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross also confirmed today that one of their colleagues has been killed in Gaza.
The ICRC said Mahmoud Barakeh, who worked at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, was killed on his way home on Sunday.
It brings to five the number of ICRC workers killed in Gaza since October 2023.
📍 Gaza | We are devastated by the killing of our colleague Mahmoud Barakeh, who worked at the Red Cross Field Hospital. He was killed on his way home on Sunday, 22 June.
— ICRC (@ICRC) June 24, 2025
Our hearts are with his family and loved ones.
Five ICRC colleagues have been killed in Gaza since October… pic.twitter.com/wANelo1w9I
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has confirmed that the country “refrained” from further attacks on Iran after he spoke to US President Donald Trump.
“The ceasefire was set for 07:00 this morning. At 03:00, Israel forcefully attacked in the heart of Tehran, struck regime targets and eliminated hundreds of Basij and Iranian security forces personnel,” the office said in a statement.
“Shortly before the ceasefire was due to take effect, Iran launched a barrage of missiles, one of which took the lives of four of our citizens in Be’er Sheva. The ceasefire took effect at 07:00.”
It said Iran “launched one missile at Israeli territory at 07:06 and two additional missiles at 10:25″.
These missiles were either intercepted or fell in open areas, and caused neither casualties nor damage.
“In response to Iran’s violations, the Air Force destroyed a radar installation near Tehran,” the statement continued.
“Pursuant to the conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel has refrained from additional attacks.
“In the conversation, President Trump expressed his great appreciation for Israel, which achieved all of its objectives for the war, as well as his confidence in the stability of the ceasefire.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a European accused of spying on “sensitive and military” sites has been arrested in the country’s south.
“A European was arrested by security forces from the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… in Hormozgan province” in the south, the Guards’ Sepahnews website said, noting that “the individual… entered Iran as a tourist”.
“He was gathering intelligence on sensitive and military sites,” it added, without elaborating.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that it will respect a ceasefire announced by Trump provided that Israel also upholds its terms.
“If the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either,” Pezeshkian said during a phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to the presidency’s website.
Trump is en route to a NATO summit and has posted to his Truth platform that the summit, “at worst, will be a much calmer period than what I just went through with Israel and Iran”.
He’s also shared an exchange with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in which Rutte congratulated Trump for his “decisive action”.
In the text exchange, Rutte describes the action as “extraordinary and something no one else dared to do”.
Meanwhile, Trump is now turning to domestic issues after stating that “we have made PEACE abroad”.
His attention is now turning to passing the “GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL” in the US.
Tehran was far from its usual hustle and bustle today, but life was regaining some colour despite concerns from residents that a tentative ceasefire between Iran and Israel may not hold.
“I don’t think it is sustainable,” said Ahmad Barqi, a 75-year-old vendor of electronics. “We would like a ceasefire… but they don’t implement it, they don’t keep to their promises,” he said, referring to the Israelis.
Meanwhile, Amir, 28, told AFP he “froze for a minute” on hearing that Trump had announced a ceasefire on social media in the middle of the night.
“Trump just said he would think for two weeks before making a decision (to bomb Iran), but all of a sudden he bombed everywhere.
“He said he wasn’t pursuing regime change and all of a sudden, boom, peace. I really don’t know… about the ceasefire but honestly, I don’t think things will return to normal,” he said.
Trump has posted to his Truth social platform in the past 15 minutes to comment that “Israel and Iran wanted to stop the war, equally!”
He added that it was his “great honour to destroy all nuclear facilities and capability, and then, stop the war!”
British prime minister Keir Starmer has defended Trump’s actions in the Middle East as he called for Iran and Israel to “get back to” a fragile ceasefire brokered overnight.
Starmer said the US had helped in “alleviating” the threat of nuclear capability for Tehran following American strikes on suspected enrichment facilities in the country.
Ministers have so far been at pains to stress Britain was not involved in the attacks, but Starmer today gave his backing to Washington’s course of action as he prepared to meet the US president at a major summit of Nato allies.
The head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has written to the Iranian foreign minister to stress the importance of working together and proposed that they meet soon.
IAEA inspectors have remained in Iran throughout the conflict and are ready to start working as soon as possible, the organisation said in a statement.
“During these attacks, we have seen extensive damage at several nuclear sites in Iran, including its uranium conversion and enrichment facilities,” said Rafael Grossi.
“Our assessment is that there has been some localised radioactive as well as chemical release inside the affected facilities that contained nuclear material – mainly uranium enriched to varying degrees – but there has been no report of increased off-site radiation levels,” Grossi added.
Simon Harris has confirmed a further two groups of Irish citizens have been assisted in leaving Israel and Iran.
Three citizens were assisted in leaving Israel this afternoon with the support of the Netherlands.
Separately, two citizens were also supported in leaving Iran this morning by the Irish Embassy in Ankara.
Harris also convened a meeting of the Department’s Heads of Mission in the Middle East region, where he was briefed on the ongoing consular work to support citizens and their families.
Speaking following the meeting, Harris said he is “grateful to our Embassy staff and our European partners for all the assistance provided”.
He added: “I encourage Irish citizens in the region to continue to monitor developments closely, to follow the advice of local authorities and to register with their Embassy where they have not already done so.”
Iran’s prison authority has transferred inmates out of Evin prison after it was hit by Israeli strikes.
The prison authority “transferred the inmates who were serving their sentences in this prison (Evin) to other facilities within Tehran province… to safeguard the rights of the prisoners and to provide space for emergency response teams,” the judiciary’s website said.
Iranian media reported that the process of transferring the prisoners had been completed, but did not specify how many inmates were moved.
Media also reported that authorities defused two unexploded missiles that landed near the prison during an Israeli strike the day before.
Earlier, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said multiple people were killed and wounded in the strike on the prison yesterday, state TV reported.
The strike destroyed part of the administrative building at Evin, a large, heavily fortified complex in the north of Tehran, which rights groups say holds political prisoners and foreign nationals.
The head of Israel’s military has said that the country had set back Iran’s nuclear programme “by years” during 12 days of strikes and the campaign against Iran was now “entering a new phase”.
“We have concluded a significant phase, but the campaign against Iran is not over. We are entering a new phase based on the achievements of the current one,” Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
“We’ve set Iran’s nuclear project back by years, and the same applies to its missile program.”
He added that Israel will now “shift” its focus back to Gaza.
“Now the focus shifts back to Gaza — to bring the hostages home and to dismantle the Hamas regime,” said Zamir in a statement shared by the army.
Meanwhile, Israel has lifted restrictions on public gatherings, workplaces and education resulting from the war with Iran after the ceasefire.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was not seeking nuclear weapons but would continue to defend its “legitimate rights” in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Pezeshkian told his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates that the two countries “cannot impose unjust aspirations by force”.
“We expect you to explain to them, in your dealings with the United States, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is only seeking to assert its legitimate rights,” Pezeshkian said during a call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.
“It has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and does not seek them,” he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, adding that Iran was “ready to resolve the issues… at the negotiating table”.
The war saw Israel strike Iranian nuclear facilities and killed nuclear scientists and the country’s top military brass.
On Sunday, the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.
The fighting broke out two days before Tehran and Washington were set to hold a new round of talks over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The two sides were at sharp odds over Iran’s uranium enrichment, which Tehran considers a “non-negotiable” right and which Washington has called a “red line”.
Israel’s airport authority said all flights in the country will resume after the country’s military lifted restrictions linked to the war with Iran as a fragile ceasefire took hold.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has announced the “end of the 12-day war imposed by Israel”, in a message to the nation carried by the official IRNA news agency.
“Today, after the heroic resistance of our great nation, whose determination makes history, we are witnessing the establishment of a truce and the ending of this 12-day war imposed by the adventurism and provocation” of Israel, Pezeshkian said.
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