New York, June 24: Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire after the US pounded Tehran’s nuclear facilities, US President Donald Trump announced.

He said Monday evening on Truth Social, “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE”.

The ceasefire will start in six hours – around midnight Washington time and 9:30 am in India — “when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions”, he said.

In a dramatic end to the missile war between Iran and Israel into which the US was drawn in with both missiles and B2 stealth bombers, Trump, who had showered invectives on Tehran for years, wrote, “I want to thank Iran”.

“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR’”, he wrote.

The announcement followed a symbolic show of Iran, which shot missiles at a US base in Qatar after having given the US notice of the strike, according to Trump.

He said 13 of the 14 missiles that Iran fired were shot down, and there were no casualties.

“They’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system’, and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE”, he said.

Trump, who had threatened dire consequences if Iran retaliated after the US attacks on its three nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Firdo, was mollified by the symbolic retaliation.

“I was ‘set free’ because it was headed in a non-threatening direction”, he said.

Trump’s posts were sparse in details and said nothing about how, where or by whom the truce was reached.

Iran, exhausted by the 12 days of missile war with Israel and the final punch from the US, finally appears ready for a truce.

In the 46 years since the Shah of Iran was overthrown, “Death to America” has been a common refrain in Tehran, holding a grudge against Washington for its role in deposing the elected government of Mohammad Mosaddegh through a coup that ultimately gave absolute powers to Reza Pahlavi, the Shah.

A 2015 international agreement to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme was shredded by Trump, who attempted to make a new deal in his second term.

The United Nations Security Council was scheduled to meet on Tuesday on that agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action which was signed by the five permanent members of the Council and Germany and the European Union.

It is to be seen if the peace will hold as Israel disrupted the negotiations between Iran and the US by starting to bomb Iran two days before a scheduled meeting between representatives of Tehran and Washington.

That in turn led to the US joining in after about ten days of sitting on the fence.

How the ceasefire will work is complicated as set out in Trump’s Truth Social post.

He indicated that first Iran is to hold a ceasefire, which Israel will respect, and that will be followed by an Israeli ceasefire for another 12 hours, at which point it will become permanent.

After the two ceasefires, “upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World”, Trump said.

Trump’s gamble in joining on Israel’s side while isolated from the other traditional US allies would pay off if the truce holds.

After the US attacks on the three nuclear centres, which Trump said had obliterated Tehran’s nuclear potential, Iran appeared to have little to gain by continuing the defiance of the US as well as most nations that have opposed the Shia nation getting a nuclear weapon.

Iran, which had allied with Russia, supplying it with drones for the Ukraine war, did not get any backing from Moscow – or Beijing – when the US bombs rained on it.

New Delhi, June 24: A total of 380 Indian nationals — 219 from Iran and 161 from Israel — arrived safely in New Delhi on Tuesday as part of the government’s ongoing Operation Sindhu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed.

With the latest arrival, India has now brought back 2,295 of its citizens from Iran amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The Israel leg of the operation, which began on Monday via Jordan, marked its first successful repatriation flight, with 161 citizens landing in New Delhi from Amman on Tuesday morning.

The MEA posted on X, “292 Indian nationals were evacuated from Iran on a special flight that arrived in New Delhi from Mashhad at 0330 hrs on June 24. 2295 Indian nationals have now been brought home from Iran.”

In another post, the ministry added, “The Israel leg of Operation Sindhu began on June 23, 2025, bringing home the first group of 161 Indian nationals from Israel. They safely arrived in New Delhi today at 0820 hrs from Amman, Jordan.”

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita personally received the group at the airport.

Speaking to media, he said, “I am very happy to welcome the first batch of 161 Indian nationals evacuated from Israel. This group has safely arrived just a short while ago at New Delhi airport.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation and are committed to providing all possible and necessary assistance to our citizens in Iran and Israel. Under Operation Sindhu, all the nationals are arriving safely,” the MoS added.

Many of the evacuees expressed gratitude to the Indian government for ensuring their safe return under dangerous circumstances.

“The situation was very bad in Haifa, especially after the US strikes. However, we are thankful that the Indian government did everything to bring us back safe,” said one evacuee from Israel.

“The MEA has done a great job. The transition was very smooth, and I express my gratitude to the ministry for making our transportation very comfortable,” another added.

An elderly passenger shared his traumatic experience: “I went to Israel a month ago. One day, while I was driving, attacks began. I panicked and hid behind a bush. The attacks were almost continuous. I couldn’t sleep. I thank the MEA for bringing us back.”

From Iran, similar voices of appreciation were heard.

“Despite everything going on, the Indian Embassy made every possible effort to keep us safe and comfortable. I thank the Government of India and the MEA for what they have done for us,” said one returnee.

“I was among the few Indian nationals who were able to get out of there so easily. The Mashhad Airport opened only for Indian nationals. This shows the stance of our country and the diplomacy of the Modi government,” another said.

“The embassy officials were taking care of us, ensuring we had water, food, and accommodation. We are thankful for making everything safe and comfortable,” another Indian national who was evacuated from Iran said.

Operation Sindhu continues to be a crucial mission aimed at evacuating Indian nationals from conflict-hit regions, reaffirming the government’s priority to safeguard its citizens abroad.

Tel Aviv, June 24: Three people were killed and several others injured after an Iranian ballistic missile struck an apartment complex in Beersheba, as Iran launched eight missiles targeting central and southern Israel on Tuesday.

The building in Beersheba was reduced to rubble following the direct impact.

Additionally, emergency responders from Magen David Adom confirmed three fatalities.

Several others wounded in the blast were transported to nearby hospitals and care centres for treatment, though no official tally of the injured has been released.

Shortly after the strike, additional missile sirens sounded across central Israel and parts of the south, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, indicating yet another wave of incoming projectiles.

The latest round of strikes came shortly after Iran declared a unilateral halt to military operations against Israel, effective 4 a.m. local time.

However, Iranian authorities stressed that this ceasefire was conditional — hinging entirely on Israel halting its own offensive actions.

The contradiction became evident when Trump claimed that both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, a claim Tehran quickly denied.

However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry swiftly denied receiving any formal ceasefire proposal from Washington. Tehran reiterated that it had temporarily paused its military operations, contingent upon Israel ceasing its own strikes.

As of now, Israel has not officially responded to Trump’s ceasefire declaration.

The ongoing war, now in its 12th day, erupted after Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion,” targeting Iranian military and nuclear assets. In retaliation, Iran has fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles at Israeli territory.

According to estimates, nearly 400 people have been killed in Iran and around 24 in Israel.

The conflict widened significantly when the United States entered the fray with direct military strikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.