Qatar's Prime Minister has been mediating a US-brokered ceasefire proposal between Israel and Iran, according to a Reuters report citing an official briefing. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held a phone call with Iranian officials following Tehran's retaliatory missile strike on the Al Udeid Air Base near Doha.
The phone conversation reportedly took place after US President Donald Trump informed the Qatari emir that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire, and asked for Qatar's help in persuading Iran to accept the terms as well, the official said.
According to a senior White House official, Trump initiated the ceasefire agreement in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday afternoon. Simultaneously, Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Marco Rubio, and US envoy Robert Wietekopf were engaged in both direct and indirect talks with Iranian representatives to advance the truce.
Trump announced overnight Tuesday on social media that Israel and Iran had reached an agreement on a ceasefire that would end hostilities between the two countries. As of now, there has been no official confirmation from either Jerusalem or Tehran. However, Iranian officials confirmed to Reuters and Al Arabiya that a deal had been reached to halt the war between Iran and Israel.
The Iranian outlet Amwaj Media, citing sources in Iran, reported that the ceasefire is scheduled to take effect at 3:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Israel's Diplomatic-Security Cabinet has been in session in an underground bunker for several hours. The prime minister has instructed all government ministers not to comment publicly on reports regarding the ceasefire.
