US President Donald Trump greets troops at the Al-Udeid air base southwest of Doha on May 15. (AFP-Yonhap)
US President Donald Trump greets troops at the Al-Udeid air base southwest of Doha on May 15. (AFP-Yonhap)

Israel and Iran agreed that they will have a "complete," "total" ceasefire to ultimately end their war, US President Donald Trump said Monday, amid growing concerns that the conflict could escalate into a wider war in the Middle East.

Trump made the announcement after Iran fired short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest US military installation in the Middle East — in response to America's attack on three key nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend.

"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"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. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL," he added.

The president said that without the ceasefire, the war could have gone on for years and destroyed the entire region.

"But it didn't, and never will!" he said, saying the war should be called "the 12-day war."

The war started with Israel's June 13 attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, missile factories and other sites, which killed top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists, and raised fears of a wider regional war.

Israel justified the attack, citing an existential threat from Iran's push to develop nuclear arms, at a time when two Iranian-backed militant groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, have been degraded with the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.

Earlier in the day, Iran fired a salvo of missiles at the US base in Qatar in a much-anticipated retaliatory move.

Trump said that Iran gave an advance notice to help prevent US casualties.

"I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," Trump wrote in a separate post. "Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same."

He noted that of the 14 missiles Iran fired, 13 were "knocked down" and the other "set free" because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction.

"Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered," he wrote.

"I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their 'system,' and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE."

On Saturday, Trump announced that the US conducted precision strikes on Iran's three key nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, marking America's direct entry into the deepening Israel-Iran conflict.

Trump described the strike operation, codenamed Midnight Hammer, as a "spectacular" success that "completely" obliterated Iran's key uranium enrichment facilities while warning against Iran's retaliation. Iran has played down the extent of the damage to the sites. (Yonhap)