President Donald Trump on Monday declared what he called a “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE” between Israel and Iran after 12 days of intensifying conflict, which included illegal U.S. strikes on Iran’s civilian nuclear sites. The cease-fire announcement came just hours after Tehran launched missiles at U.S. military facilities in the region in response to the attacks.
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World,” he added.
The announcement followed missile strikes by Iran on a base in Qatar housing thousands of U.S. troops and reportedly a site in Iraq. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran agreed to the cease-fire after persuasion from Qatar. Earlier that day, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Iran “will definitely respond in a way that will make gambler Trump regret” attacking Iranian territory.
The cease-fire claim was met with cautious relief and widespread skepticism, particularly from peace activists and foreign policy experts. Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the group CodePink, responded, “Trump says there’s a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. Is it true? We don’t know but if it is, it’s great news. Because Iran has been under attack. The world has been on edge. And while a cease-fire would be a tremendous relief, let’s not forget: Trump lies.”
Benjamin also noted, “Israel violates cease-fires all the time in Gaza, in Lebanon. Israel has nuclear weapons. Iran does not. The U.S. and Israel have attacked Iran illegally. So yes, let’s hope it’s real. But let’s also stay clear-eyed. And let’s demand a cease-fire where it’s urgently needed: Gaza. No more starvation. No more bombings. No more fake ‘humanitarian corridors.’”
The events that precipitated the cease-fire have drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and experts, particularly regarding the legality of Trump’s military actions. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, rejected the claim that the attacks were justified.
“There was no imminent threat,” Murphy said. “I got briefed on the same intelligence as the speaker.” He added, “This is also a moment for the American people to stand up and say we do not want another war in the Middle East.”
In a formal statement, Murphy emphasized, “I’ve been briefed on the intelligence—there is no evidence Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. That makes this attack illegal.”
He continued, “Only Congress can declare preemptive war, and we should vote as soon as possible on legislation to explicitly deny President Trump the authorization to drag us into a conflict in Middle East that could get countless Americans killed and waste trillions of dollars,” calling Trump “a weak and dangerously reckless president.”
Murphy’s extended analysis, published on his Senate website, argued that the strikes reflect systemic flaws in U.S. foreign policy and decision-making. He warned that “there is an industry in Washington that profits from war,” and described the attacks as “a major setback for the international rule of law that has undergirded American security for 75 years.” He concluded, “You cannot bomb knowledge out of existence. Iran knows how to make a nuclear bomb.”
The decision to target nuclear facilities sparked alarm among nonproliferation experts and watchdog groups. During a Monday webinar hosted by ReThink Media, Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, called the strikes “a reckless, irresponsible escalation.”
“The strikes did damage key Iranian nuclear facilities, like the underground Fordow enrichment site. But Tehran had ample time prior to the strikes to remove its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium to a covert location, and it’s likely that they did so,” Davenport said. “This underscores that the strikes may have temporarily set back Iran’s program, but military action is not an effective long-term strategy for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.”
She warned, “Strikes are already strengthening factions in Iran calling for withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and strengthening arguments that nuclear weapons are necessary to deter further attacks.”
Rejecting Trump’s boast that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, Davenport said, “All Trump has destroyed is U.S. credibility.”
“These were not covert enrichment facilities. These were not sites where Iran was dashing to the bomb. You know, there’s no evidence of that. These were safeguarded facilities that the IAEA regularly has access to,” she said. “This is a devastating blow to the nonproliferation regime.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) itself has been drawn into the controversy. Last week, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated there was no proof that Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapon. On Monday, Grossi reiterated his concerns during a board of governors meeting in Vienna.
“The weight of this conflict risks collapsing the global nuclear nonproliferation regime,” Grossi said. “We must take it, otherwise violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels and the global nonproliferation regime that has underpinned international security for more than half a century could crumble and fall.”
“Armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in boradioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked,” he warned. “Military escalation not only threatens lives, it also delays us from taking the diplomatic path.”
However, Grossi’s remarks failed to reassure Iranian officials, who have accused the IAEA of enabling U.S. and Israeli aggression. Iran filed a formal complaint against Grossi last week, accusing him of undermining the agency’s impartiality. On Monday, Iran’s parliament began debating legislation to suspend cooperation with the IAEA.
“The world clearly saw that the IAEA has failed to uphold its commitments and has become a political instrument,” said Speaker Qalibaf.
Peace activists have also condemned the IAEA’s role. In an opinion piece for Common Dreams, Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies wrote, “The U.S. and Israel used Grossi to hijack the IAEA and start a war on Iran.” They added, “Rafael Grossi should resign as IAEA director before he further undermines nuclear nonproliferation and drags the world any closer to nuclear war.”
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