Iran's Foreign Minister Contradicts Trump's Ceasefire Announcement

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi directly contradicted President Trump's announcement of a ceasefire agreement Monday evening, stating there is "NO agreement" on any cessation of military operations between Iran and Israel.

In a social media post published shortly after Trump declared a "Complete and Total" ceasefire had been reached, Araghchi clarified Iran's position and issued what amounts to an ultimatum to Israel.

"As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations," Araghchi wrote on 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."

Is There a Ceasefire in Place?

For some, the Iranian Foreign Minister's statement throws into question the validity of Trump's ceasefire announcement, which the President said would take effect in stages over 24 hours and officially end what he termed "The 12 Day War." For others, the comment is seen as bravado and posturing, even as Iran is seemingly stuck with little military leadership left standing.

But even if Iran continues to fight, its nuclear capabilities seem all but decimated after U.S. intervention.

Trump had indicated that both Iran and Israel had agreed to the ceasefire, which was reportedly brokered through Qatar's mediation. However, neither country had officially confirmed the agreement before Araghchi's contradictory statement.

The 4 a.m. Tehran deadline mentioned by Araghchi translates to approximately 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time Monday, which has already come and gone. That timetable was roughly six hours after his post and coincided with Trump's original timeline for the ceasefire to begin.

But, even if it's a firm stance for the moment, Araghchi's statement reveals Iran's position as conditional rather than a firm agreement. The Foreign Minister indicated Iran would cease its military response only if Israel stops what Tehran calls "illegal aggression" by the specified deadline.

"The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araghchi added, suggesting Iran retains the right to resume attacks if Israel continues its campaign.

The statement also reiterates Iran's narrative about the conflict's origins: "Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around."

This refers to Israel's June 13 surprise attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and military targets that initiated the current conflict. On April 12, 2025, President Donald Trump gave Iran 60 days to come to terms. The June 13 attacks came on day 61.

On Timing and Context

Araghchi's contradiction comes hours after Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes against the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, with 14-19 missiles fired in response to Saturday's American bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites.

The Iranian attack caused no casualties, with most missiles intercepted by Qatari and US air defenses. Trump called the Iranian response "very weak" and thanked Iran for providing advance warning.

Despite the contradiction from Iran's chief diplomat, sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had secured Tehran's agreement to a US-proposed ceasefire during a call with Iranian officials.

Update: Reuters now reports that Iranian regime officials have confirmed the ceasefire agreement:

BREAKING

A senior Islamic Republic of Iran official has confirmed to Reuters that the Islamic Republic has agreed to a ceasefire proposal.— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 23, 2025

NBC's Matt Bradley points out that the terms seem designed to prevent Iran from declaring victory:

Unclear about these details.

It looks like Israel will have a twelve hour period after Iran ceases firing before it too has to stop striking Iran.

Then both sides keep their guns silent for 12 hours before the war officially ends.

That sounds like quite a lopsided deal. pic.twitter.com/QiZ8NUcwC1— Matt Bradley (@MattMcBradley) June 23, 2025

They didn't have a choice.

Update: According to Reuters, the Qataris helped broker the agreement after Trump got Israel to agree in principle to the terms he suggested. The Times of Israel has the report, which also contains the aforementioned confirmation:

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran’s agreement to the US proposal for a ceasefire during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations tells Reuters.
The call took place after Iran’s strikes on a US air base in Qatar on Monday, the official says.
The phone call came after US President Donald Trump told Qatar’s emir that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire and asked for Doha’s help persuading Tehran to also agree, the official says.

So they were cutting a deal to get out of the war while Khamenei was tweeting about his courage while hiding in his bunker. That's just ... delicious.

Update: Reportedly, Netanyahu has now confirmed the deal too:

Netanyahu: “We have a ceasefire”— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 23, 2025

Still nothing in Israeli media, but I'm updating constantly. For what it's worth, though, the Jerusalem Post reported this morning that the Israelis would have wrapped up the war pretty soon anyway:

Despite seemingly intensifying attacks by Israel on Iran and the dramatic US bombing of three nuclear sites, defense sources told The Jerusalem Post on Monday night that Jerusalem intends to wrap up the war against Tehran "in the coming days." ...
In recent days, Israel shifted to targeting sources of the regime's internal; power, relating to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia.
However, a few more days of attacks would likely be insufficient, on its own, to bring down the regime, though some analysts think it may already have been enough to empower Iranian opposition officials to dethrone Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

That may be why we're seeing the intensity of the strikes in Tehran and other parts of Iran in these last few hours. The Israelis want to weaken the regime as much as possible before the end.

Update: Israeli media is reporting that Iran gave guarantees that they will not restart their nuclear programs:

1.A ceasefire is in place.

2.Trump announced it earlier than planned.

3.Israel received guarantees that Iran will not resume its nuclear weapons program.

Via @Tamir114 channel 14— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 24, 2025

That's an even bigger capitulation than I imagined ... if they adhere to that agreement. We'll see.

Update: Of all the lame spins, Abbas Araghchi chose the lamest:

Seems Iranian forces have acknowledged the ceasefire: pic.twitter.com/abQXygyg2x— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) June 24, 2025

Uh ... we never agreed to nothin' ... but since the Israelis have stopped, we're gonna stop and not because anyone MADE us stop. For reals, dudes.

Sure, Jan.