Trump calls on Israel and Iran to "immediately stop shooting" as ceasefire frays
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President Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One before an agriculture roundtable in Chippewa Falls, Wis., on June 5. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump called on Israel and Iran to "immediately stop shooting" in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
Why it matters: The war between Israel and Iran resumed on Sunday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied Trump's request to stand down. Israel struck Tehran and other cities after Iran launched missiles toward Israel.
- The exchanges on Sunday night and Monday morning are the most significant escalation since the April 8 ceasefire. They are threatening to unravel the negotiations between the Trump administration and Iran and draw the U.S. back into the war.
The latest: Iran's armed forces announced a suspension of its military operations on Monday but threatened "more severe and crushing measures than before" if the "aggression" continues, including Israel's operations in southern Lebanon.
- It was not immediately clear whether Israel would agree to a pause.
- An Israel Defense Forces official told reporters earlier on Monday that Israel was preparing for several days of fighting.
Catch up quick: Iran launched a barrage of missiles toward Israel on Sunday in retaliation for an Israeli attack on Lebanon, which it considered a violation of its ceasefire with the U.S. and Israel.
- Trump told Axios he would ask Netanyahu not to retaliate so as not to "blow up" the deal he's negotiating with Iran, and soon after he called Netanyahu and relayed that message.
- Several hours later Netanyahu ordered strikes on several military targets in Iran, including in Tehran.
- The Iranians then responded by launching more missiles, including toward Tel Aviv.
Behind the scenes: A U.S. official said the Trump-Netanyahu call was "polite," but that Netanyahu pushed back on Trump's request.
- "Netanyahu was expressly told the cycle needs to end. The U.S. didn't agree or support these strikes," the U.S. official said.
- While two U.S. officials said the U.S. military was not involved in the Israeli strikes on Iran, an Israeli official said the U.S. did help intercept Iranian attacks on Israel.
State of play: On Monday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said it attacked air defense systems the Iranians rebuilt during the ceasefire.
- Israel later attacked a big petrochemical facility in Iran, which the IDF claimed was used to produce raw materials for weapons manufacturing.
- The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it could retaliate by attacking infrastructure facilities in Israel and in Gulf countries.
The other side: The Iranian military fired more than 25 missiles at targets in Israel, including Tel Aviv. Most were intercepted.
- Prior to the Israeli strikes, Iran had threatened to expand its attacks and target U.S. bases in the region if Israel retaliated.
- The Houthi rebels in Yemen also joined the fighting, launching two missiles at Israel and announcing they would attack Israeli vessels in the Red Sea.
- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the U.S. was directly responsible for Israel's actions and stressed the developments "will only worsen the chaotic situation of the diplomatic process."
What to watch: Trump claimed that despite the renewed fighting, negotiations with Iran should move "quickly," unless "ignorance or stupidity" get in the way.
- The other two parties to the war have expressed far less optimism about a deal.
