In a surprising turn of events, former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that the newly brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran will mark the end of hostilities between the two longtime adversaries — and he believes it could last “forever.”
Speaking in a phone interview with NBC News on Monday night, Trump sounded confident:
“I think the ceasefire is unlimited. It’s going to go forever… I don’t believe they will ever be shooting at each other again.”
The deal, which Trump announced on his platform Truth Social, is set to be rolled out in phases over 24 hours. According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the agreement came together with the involvement of Qatar’s leadership, who helped deliver the proposal to Iran.
A diplomat told NBC that both Trump and Vice President JD Vance were deeply involved in brokering the ceasefire, with key support from Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. The phased ceasefire plan — which has Iran halting fire for 12 hours, followed by Israel doing the same — was reportedly Trump’s idea to address Israeli concerns over compliance.
Sources also revealed that Trump personally called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly telling him:
“No more war, no more fighting. The Iranians have been significantly weakened.”
At the same time, Trump’s national security team was reportedly working behind the scenes, relaying messages to Iranian officials through intermediaries, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were part of the parallel diplomatic outreach.
Whether the ceasefire truly holds, as Trump predicts, remains to be seen. But for now, this agreement — reached after weeks of rising tensions — offers a glimmer of hope that diplomacy, however unconventional, might prevail.st ‘forever’
