Donald Trump brokered ceasefire between Iran, Israel to end 12-day war: White House official

US President Donald Trump brokered the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, said a White House official after both the parties decided to call off the 12-day war. In the condition of anonymity, the official said that Trump held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while his team, including US Vice President JD Vance, held talks with Iran. 

Israel agreed to the ceasefire as long as Iran does not retaliate with fresh attacks. Iran too, on the other hand, said there would be no further attacks. 

However, it is not only the US but also Qatar who played a key role in the negotiations. A senior official involved in the ceasefire negotiations told news agency Reuters that Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Iran's agreement to the US-proposed ceasefire, following an outreach by Trump and Vance to Qatar's Emir, urging him to help reduce tensions in the Middle East.

The official said, "Trump told the Emir that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire and asked for Qatari help to persuade Iran to also agree." Subsequently, Qatar's Prime Minister spoke with Iranian officials and successfully brokered Iran's commitment to the ceasefire terms.

Trump expressed his gratitude to the Emir of Qatar in a post, stating, "CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT'S TIME FOR PEACE!" In another post, he added, "I’d like to thank the Highly Respected Emir of Qatar for all that he has done in seeking peace for the Region."

US’ mediation and the subsequent ceasefire came after Iran launched a missile attack on an American air base in Qatar on Monday. The attack targeted Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. It threatened to widen a conflict that began on June 13 with an Israeli strike on Iran. The strike focused on Iran's nuclear programme and ballistic missiles.

Iran had warned it would retaliate after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend. Iran gave advance notice to the US through diplomatic channels hours before the attack. It also informed Qatari authorities.