United States President Donald Trump says Iran and Israel have agreed to a “total and complete” ceasefire.
The US president announced that the ceasefire will take effect on Tuesday, saying it will effectively bring the 12-day war to a close.
“Officially, Iran will start the ceasefire and, upon the 12th hour, Israel will start the ceasefire and, upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-day war will be saluted by the world,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“During each ceasefire, the other side will remain peaceful and respectful. 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’.
“This is a war that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and God bless the world.”
Trump added that Israel and Iran approached him “almost simultaneously” for peace.
Iranian state TV news channel IRINN, however, said Trump “begged” for a ceasefire.
In a post on his X page, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said his country has “no intention” of continuing the war if Israel stops.
Araghchi added that the cessation of military hostilities is dependent on Israel’s next actions.
“However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards,” he said.
“The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.”
The ceasefire announcement came hours after Trump had hinted at the possibility of a regime change in Iran.
The US had bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend, after a week of hostilities between Israel and Iran.
Iran responded on Monday by launching retaliatory missile strikes at US air bases in Qatar and Iraq.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
