‘Get me Bibi, we are going to make peace’: How Trump initiated ceasefire deal with Netanyahu

It started on Saturday, June 21, right after the United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran – Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan – over the weekend, when Donald Trump decided to end the Israel-Iran conflict and get the two to agree to a ceasefire.

Following that, multiple calls between the United States, Israel, Iran, and Qatar were made in an effort to persuade both sides to end hostilities.

“Get me Bibi [Netanyahu]. We are going to make peace,” a senior White House official quoted Donald Trump as saying, as he also directed his team to get on call with the Iranians.

The official said, “He directed his team on Saturday night: 'Let's get on the phone…with the Iranians.”

In the next few hours, Donald Trump had Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire while his team – Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steven Witkoff – held direct and indirect talks with Iranian officials to broker the ceasefire between the two countries.

The official, providing details of the ceasefire on condition of anonymity, said Israel agreed to it so long as Iran does not launch fresh attacks. Iran signaled that no further attacks would take place as long as Israel restraints, the official said.

Donald Trump also spoke with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and informed him that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire, seeking Doha's help in persuading Tehran to also agree now, an official privy to the ‘total ceasefire’ told Reuters.

Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani then spoke with Iranian officials, securing Iran's agreement to the truce. The phone call came after Iran attacked a United States' airbase in Qatar in retaliation to American attack on its soil.

Earlier, Iran had launched missiles against a US air base, causing no casualties, after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend.

Before the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated, with Tel Aviv launching strikes against Tehran at multiple locations, Donald Trump's team had been negotiating with Iranians but the talks broke down when Iran would not back away from its demand that it continue enriching uranium.

(With Reuters inputs)