President Donald Trump announced Monday that Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, but early Tuesday he reported that both countries violated the agreement.
He wrote on social media Monday that the two countries would start to wind down final missions at 9 p.m. Pacific Time, then the ceasefire would begin. And within 24 hours, he said there will be an official end to fighting.
“That’s good news, that the president was able to get that across the finish line,” Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also spoke out.
“A big sigh of relief here on Capitol Hill, we certainly hope and pray and trust that Iran will end its nuclear enrichment program,” he said.
But Israeli defense forces reported another round of missiles launched from Iran on Tuesday local time – it came after Iranian state media reported that the country had imposed a ceasefire on Israel.
It’s unclear how these latest developments could affect potential ceasefire agreements.
Since Israel first launched airstrikes in Iran on June 13, hundreds have been killed across the region.
“It has been just so heart wrenching every single day to just be checking hour by hour where they’ve struck next and seeing how close it’s been to family and friends,” said Hoda Katebi.
She lives in the Bay Area but has been checking in on friends and family.
“The past week has been absolutely devastating, trying to reach family and friends across Iran,” she said.
Rabbi Mendel Levin in San Francisco has friends and family in Israel. He has hopes for a ceasefire.
“I don’t know what to say til we see the developments and hopefully this will be a complete ending,” he said.
On Monday, Democrats blasted President Trump for not getting congressional authorization for Saturday’s bombing.
“The use of military force must be approved by the House and the Senate. That’s according to the constitution. It’s not optional, Donald. It’s not,” said House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.
President Trump is calling this “The 12 Day War” – but we have yet to see if a ceasefire holds.
“There’s a lot of hope that we might be seeing the end of this current crisis but a lot remains to be seen,” said Andrew Reddie, the founding director of Berkeley Risk and Security Lab.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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