In the aftermath of a dramatic Iranian missile strike targeting a United States military installation in Qatar, President Donald Trump and his top national security and diplomatic team swiftly moved behind closed doors to forge a peace agreement that would end the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
While Trump was in direct communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, other key figures in his administration, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, focused on engaging with Iranian officials via both direct contacts and back channels, a senior White House source revealed.
Qatar emerged as a central player in the mediation efforts. At one point during the high-stakes negotiations, Trump personally spoke with the Qatari leader, Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to secure regional cooperation.
Less than two days after the United States carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and just hours after Iran launched its retaliatory attack, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to declare a breakthrough.
He announced that a peace agreement had been reached, calling it a “complete and Total CEASEFIRE” that would result in “an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR.”
Despite the announcement, uncertainty loomed late Monday in the United States, early Tuesday in the Middle East, regarding whether the ceasefire would hold firm.
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A White House official noted that Israel had consented to the ceasefire on the condition that Iran would cease further attacks. The same official confirmed that Iran had agreed to the terms.
According to two sources with knowledge of the matter, Trump informed the Emir of Qatar that the US had successfully secured Israel’s agreement to halt hostilities and expressed gratitude for the Emir’s pivotal role in facilitating the talks.
Trump also asked the Emir to help persuade the Iranian leadership to embrace the ceasefire deal.
Vice President Vance worked in coordination with the office of Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, a source said.
Following a conversation between Al-Thani and Iranian representatives, Tehran accepted the terms of the ceasefire, according to the source and a diplomat briefed on the negotiations.
A US official emphasized that a series of calls involving the Qatari Emir were instrumental in gaining Iran’s agreement.
Iranian state media later reported early Tuesday local time that a ceasefire had been “imposed on the enemy” after its military retaliated against what it termed “US aggression.”
Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, praised the nation’s military and signaled the end of hostilities, stating on X, “The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4 a.m.”
Araghchi had earlier stated that Iran would cease its military campaign if Israel halted its own strikes by that same time.
Israel, however, had yet to officially confirm whether it had committed to the ceasefire.
Just hours after proclaiming the ceasefire, Trump claimed on Truth Social that both adversaries reached out to him expressing interest in peace, “Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, ‘PEACE!’ I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS! Both Nations will see tremendous LOVE, PEACE, AND PROSPERITY in their futures.”
Not long before that post, Israel’s military confirmed that missiles had been launched from Iranian territory toward Israel and said its defense systems had been activated in response.
The White House credited the success of the ceasefire to the US military’s earlier strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities conducted on Saturday.
Earlier on Monday, officials in Doha notified the US government about the incoming Iranian missiles targeting a US base in Qatar.
These were intercepted, and no casualties or injuries were reported. Sources said Iranian officials had warned Qatar in advance of the retaliatory action.
Diplomats speaking to CNN expressed hope that Iran’s retaliation would mark a turning point, offering Tehran a diplomatic off-ramp and paving the way for renewed negotiations. The fragile ceasefire is expected to create space for further dialogue between the US and Iran.
In the wake of Israel’s initial offensive against Iran, US officials launched a diplomatic blitz to bring Iran back into negotiations over its nuclear program.
Throughout the preceding week, messages were exchanged through multiple intermediaries in an effort to revive stalled talks.
One regional source confirmed an attempt to arrange a meeting between Trump and Iran’s president in Turkey, though that plan ultimately failed to materialize.
Iran repeatedly maintained that it would only consider returning to the negotiating table if Israel stopped its military operations.
Despite the US strikes, Iranian officials indicated they were still open to dialogue under that condition, a source close to the discussions said.
Prior to the US military’s operation targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, intermediaries delivered a dual message from the Trump administration: that the strikes would be limited in scope, and that the US position on diplomacy was straightforward, no uranium enrichment.
Although Iran has consistently asserted its sovereign right to enrich uranium, sources said that the US had removed all other preconditions, simplifying its demand to just that single issue. This marked a significant shift from the multifaceted terms of earlier rounds of nuclear talks.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly maintained contact with Iranian intermediaries even after the US strikes, according to both a senior administration official and a source with knowledge of the communication.
Meanwhile, Secretary Rubio continued to push publicly for renewed engagement with Iran. Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” he emphasized the administration’s openness to dialogue, “If they call right now and say we want to meet, let’s talk about this, we’re prepared to do that.”
He reiterated that a deal remained possible, one in which Iran could retain a civil nuclear program without enrichment capabilities.
