President Donald Trump announced Monday that Iran and Israel had agreed to a staggered ceasefire that would bring about an "official end" to a conflict that had threatened to escalate into a full blown war involving the United States.

"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE," Trump wrote Monday on his Truth Social platform, although there was no official confirmation from either of the Middle Eastern adversaries.

Over a week of tit-for tat missile launches have killed hundreds in Iran and two dozen in Israel, according to officials on both sides.

The United States joined the conflict over the weekend with unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, spurring a retaliatory missile attack Monday on an American base in Qatar, which Trump said had been successfully defeated.

Trump said the ceasefire would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran unilaterally halting all operations. Israel would follow suit 12 hours later, the president said.

"Upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-day war will be saluted by the world," he said, adding that........

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