The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran faced early setbacks on Tuesday as explosions were reported in Tehran, casting doubt over US President Donald Trump’s announcement that hostilities had been paused. Two witnesses, cited by the BBC, in the Iranian capital confirmed hearing two loud blasts, while Israeli army radio claimed that a radar site near Tehran had been hit.
Despite the explosions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office asserted that no additional strikes had been launched after Netanyahu spoke directly with Trump. The US President, who is en route to a NATO summit in the Netherlands, had taken a strong public stance to de-escalate the situation.
“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 on Truth Social.
That message followed a more pointed one in which Trump warned: “Israel. Do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!”
Trump Criticises Israel, Iran Denies Violation
Speaking to reporters before leaving the White House, Trump voiced frustration with both sides for breaching the ceasefire but expressed greater disappointment in Israel.
“I’ve got to get Israel to calm down now,” he said, adding that Iran and Israel had been fighting “so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f they’re doing.”
ALSO READ: Israel accepts US ceasefire proposal, Netanyahu thanks Trump for help
According to Israeli media and Axios, Netanyahu had informed Trump that Israel would scale back its planned airstrikes rather than cancel them outright. Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed he had ordered new military actions in response to what he described as Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire through fresh missile launches.
However, Iran denied launching any missiles after the ceasefire came into effect and instead accused Israel of continuing its offensive for nearly 90 minutes past the agreed-upon truce time.
Relief Tempered by Destruction as Ceasefire Holds for Now
Despite the conflicting reports, a sense of cautious relief was evident in both nations after 12 days of intense warfare that began when Israel launched a surprise attack on June 13, striking Iranian nuclear facilities and eliminating top military leaders.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, denying any effort to develop nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have reported hundreds of deaths from Israeli airstrikes, though exact figures remain unverified due to tight media control. Israel has lost 28 lives to Iranian missile attacks—the first large-scale penetration of its missile defence systems in recent history.
Trump, whose forces joined the offensive two days earlier by striking Iranian nuclear targets, had announced the ceasefire with a direct appeal: “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”
As the dust settles over Tehran and Tel Aviv, questions remain about the durability of the truce, even as both countries take a tentative step away from full-scale war.
