 "President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, on Tuesday. AP")
President Donald Trump reacted angrily after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran — which he had brokered and publicly claimed credit for — was breached just hours after it took effect.
In response, he ordered Israeli warplanes to abort their planned bombing missions midair, warning that proceeding would constitute a “major violation.”
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing,” NBC News quoted Trump as saying as he departed the White House for the Nato summit in the Netherlands.
Israel accused Iran of being the first to violate the ceasefire, claiming it intercepted two ballistic missiles aimed at northern Israel around 10:30 am, roughly two-and-a-half hours after the truce was announced.
However, upon waking in Washington to news of the early breach, President Trump directed his strongest criticism at Israel, not only for the scale of its planned retaliation, but also for the volume of bombs dropped by Israeli warplanes in the hours between agreeing to the ceasefire on Monday night and its official start at 5 am GMT on Tuesday.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOn Monday, Trump announced on social media that Israel and Iran had agreed to a total ceasefire. However, roughly 12 hours later, he accused both sides of violating the agreement.
“I think they both violated it,” NBC News quoted Trump as telling reporters on Tuesday morning.
“I don’t think, I’m not sure they did it intentionally. They couldn’t reign people back. I don’t like the fact that Israel went out this morning at all, and I’m going to see if I can stop it,” he added.
Trump’s sharp criticism on Tuesday morning marked the latest shift in tone amid rapidly escalating tensions in West Asia, following the US military’s unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear sites — the first direct American attack on Iranian territory.
In response, Iran launched a retaliatory missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, which hosts US troops. No casualties were reported, and just hours later, Trump announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel had carried out strikes on Tehran overnight. Iran responded with a missile barrage several hours later, killing four people in Israel.
Trump reacted strongly, warning Israel via social media not to bomb Iran, calling such action a “major violation” in a post written in all capital letters.
Speaking to reporters, he added, “I’m not happy with Israel,” while clarifying, “I’m not happy with Iran either, but I’m really unhappy if Israel’s going out this morning.”
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran,” Trump said in a separate post Tuesday morning.
“Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to halt further strikes on Iran after a phone call with President Trump, his office said Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Trump recounted the call: “You gotta call back the planes. It’s enough. It’s enough. And they did, which I respect very greatly, so nobody was killed.”
Asked if he believed the conflict would escalate again, Trump said, “I think they’re both tired of it… and Iran’s not going to have a nuclear weapon. I think it’s the last thing on their mind right now.”
Israel began striking Iran in mid-June, triggering nearly two weeks of deadly exchanges. Iranian and Israeli authorities say the fighting has killed hundreds in Iran and dozens in Israel.
Iran supports Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel’s war with Hamas, sparked by the October 7, 2023 attack, has since killed more than 55,000 people in Gaza — mostly civilians — according to local officials.
With inputs from agencies