The ceasefire between Israel and Iran, brokered by the US and Qatar, is already showing signs of strain, triggering frustration and a televised expletive from United States President Donald Trump. Trump accused Israel of undermining the deal just hours after its announcement, expressing his discontent with both sides but reserving his strongest rebuke for Israel.
“We have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing,” Trump said, visibly exasperated. He emphasized that Israel had launched a significant attack immediately after the ceasefire agreement, stating, “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before.” Trump urged Israel to calm down, saying, “I’ve got to get Israel to calm down now.”
Trump had announced the ceasefire on social media, declaring, “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!” He also posted, “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt.”
However, when Israel seemed to violate the agreement, Trump expressed his anger, posting, “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
The Israeli government initially seemed to defy Trump’s call for restraint. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced fresh military strikes on targets in Tehran, citing alleged Iranian missile launches in “blatant violation” of the ceasefire.
However, Iran denied any missile activity and accused Israel of launching attacks that continued for over 90 minutes after the ceasefire’s scheduled start time. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later stated that Israel had carried out one more attack near Tehran after Trump’s appeal but was refraining from “further strikes”.
Despite the rocky start, Trump voiced support for the ceasefire itself, clarifying he is not seeking regime change in Iran. The US leader had outlined a phased 24-hour ceasefire process, with Iran halting operations first, followed by Israel 12 hours later.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would not fire at Israel if it was not fired upon, but a “final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later”.
Reactions to the ceasefire have been mixed, with some welcoming the agreement while others express skepticism. Ali Hashem reported from Tehran that Iranian officials seemed to welcome Trump’s remarks, viewing them as a potential opening for diplomatic engagement. In contrast, Phil Lavelle noted that Trump appeared “quite annoyed” and perhaps “betrayed” by Netanyahu’s decision to violate the ceasefire.