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Updates with Iran strikes, additional Trump comments.
Investing.com -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on early-Tuesday that his recently announced ceasefire between Israel and Iran was now in effect, potentially marking an end to renewed hostilities between the Middle Eastern powers.
"THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!," Trump said in a post on Truth.Social, roughly six to seven hours after he initially announced the truce.
Iran kept up its offensive against Israel until just minutes to when the ceasefire was supposed to take effect. Tehran was seen launching at least six waves of missile strikes on various Israeli targets, with some casualties being reported.
But Iranian state television confirmed Trump’s agreement, while Israel was also seen acknowledging the truce. NBC News Reported that Trump expects the ceasefire to ’last forever."
According to Trump’s earlier post, the truce stipulates a 12-hour initial ceasefire period initiated by Iran, followed by Israel joining the ceasefire at the 12th hour.
Trump stated that upon the 24th hour, there will be an "Official END" to the conflict. During each ceasefire period, Trump noted that "the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL."
The announcement comes days after the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites. The U.S. military had dropped high-yield bunker busters on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, which Trump claimed had "obliterated" them.
In his social media statement, Trump congratulated both nations on having "the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence" to end the conflict, adding that this was a war that "could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East." Trump said in another social media post that both Iran and Israel had approached him to broker a ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said on Sunday that the country was "very very close" to completing its goals in Iran, specifically the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The U.S. strikes had likely furthered this goal.
Oil prices tumbled on Monday evening after Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire, while U.S. stock index futures surged between 0.5% and 0.8%, indicating that market sentiment was improving on the news.
(Additional reporting by Ambar Warrick)