Vice President JD Vance unpacks President Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire
Trump Announces ‘Complete and Total Ceasefire’ Between Iran and Israel After 12-Day War
In a dramatic and unexpected development, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social moments before a televised interview to announce that Israel and Iran have agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire,” ending what he dubbed the “12-Day War.” According to the statement, the ceasefire will begin in stages over a 24-hour period following the completion of final military missions by both nations.
“Congratulations to everyone,” Trump wrote. “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire in approximately six hours… Upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-Day War will be saluted by the world.”
The announcement came just as Vice President J.D. Vance appeared on Fox News to discuss the recent Middle East developments. Vance confirmed he had been involved in the White House discussions leading up to the ceasefire and praised the administration’s military success, emphasizing that the Iranian nuclear program had been “obliterated” without a single American casualty.
“We are now in a place where Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they had,” Vance stated. “We destroyed it.”
According to Vance, the U.S.-led military campaign successfully targeted Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure and its missile systems, effectively crippling its capacity to produce a nuclear weapon. Despite Iran reportedly having a stockpile of highly enriched uranium, he said the mission’s success hinged on destroying the enrichment and conversion capabilities necessary to weaponize the material.
Vance acknowledged concerns that Iran could attempt to rebuild its program but warned that any future efforts would be met with overwhelming American force. “We can fly a bunker buster bomb from Missouri to Iran, undetected, and destroy whatever they build,” he said.
The Vice President also addressed skepticism over Iran’s commitment, noting that public and private Iranian communications often differ. “What they’ve shown is they don’t want to continue this war. Their air defenses and missile capabilities have been decimated. They know we have the upper hand.”
Pressed on whether Trump’s mention of “regime change” in a Truth Social post under the slogan “Make Iran Great Again” (MIGA) contradicted administration policy, Vance clarified that the U.S. mission was strictly military in nature. “The president’s goal was not regime change. It was to eliminate a nuclear threat. If the Iranian people want change, that’s up to them.”
The interview also touched on Iran’s missile strike against a U.S. base in Qatar, which Trump characterized as “very weak.” Vance explained that Iran had telegraphed the strike in advance, suggesting it was a symbolic act rather than an escalation.
“This is not just about Iran and Israel,” Vance added. “Our Gulf allies want peace. They want to focus on investment, AI, and the future. That was impossible with a nuclear Iran. Now, with that program destroyed, we have a real chance to reshape the region.”
Ceasefire’ Between Iran and Israel After 12-Day War
The ceasefire terms outlined by Trump include a phased halt to hostilities, beginning with Iran initiating a 12-hour ceasefire, followed by Israel’s 12-hour ceasefire. If successful, the war will be officially declared over.
“The president has threaded the needle quite well,” Vance said. “We had a very difficult objective — the elimination of Iran’s nuclear program. And we did it, in one week, without a single American casualty.”
He concluded with a pointed message: “If Iran attempts to restart its program, they’ll be met with the same overwhelming force. But we hope they choose peace. The ball is in their court.”
