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President Donald Trump sharply criticized both Israel and Iran on Tuesday morning, just hours after heralding what he called an “unlimited” ceasefire between the two longtime adversaries — a fragile agreement that now appears dangerously close to collapsing.
“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,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for the NATO summit in the Netherlands.
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Trump had announced the ceasefire Monday via social media following a weekend of rapid military escalation: the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, Iran responded by launching missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and Israel carried out further strikes in Tehran.
But by Tuesday morning, Trump accused both nations of already violating the agreement, saying, “I think they both violated it… 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.”
Trump Orders Israeli Planes to Turn Around
The president’s sharpest rebuke was aimed at Israel, traditionally a close U.S. ally. According to Trump, he personally phoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ordered a halt to the Israeli military operation.
“You gotta call back the planes. It’s enough. It’s enough,” Trump said. “And they did, which I respect very greatly, so nobody was killed.”
Earlier in the day, Israeli strikes reportedly killed four people in Iran, prompting retaliatory missile fire from Tehran. In a social media post written entirely in capital letters, Trump warned:
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran.”
Netanyahu’s office later said no additional attacks on Iran would be carried out and confirmed the Israeli leader had spoken to Trump.
“I’m Not Happy With Either of Them”
Trump’s rhetoric marked an abrupt shift from the celebratory tone of his Monday ceasefire announcement.
“I’m not happy with Israel. I’m not happy with Iran either, but I’m really unhappy if Israel’s going out this morning,” Trump told reporters.
Despite the growing chaos, Trump expressed cautious optimism that the ceasefire could still hold, saying, “I think they’re both tired of it… Iran’s not going to have a nuclear weapon, by the way. I think it’s the last thing on their mind right now.”
Broader Regional Fallout
The Israel-Iran hostilities are unfolding alongside Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of dozens. Since then, Israeli military operations have killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Iran, which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah, has increasingly come under pressure as Israeli and American strikes disrupt its regional proxy networks and nuclear ambitions.
The Trump administration insists that its strike on Iran’s nuclear sites has “obliterated” Tehran’s weapons program, though experts caution that key elements may still be intact.
What Comes Next?
With the ceasefire teetering and world leaders calling for restraint, questions now swirl about whether the U.S. — already drawn into the conflict by its own direct strikes on Iran — will become more deeply entangled.
“I think the planes are grounded — for now,” Trump said before boarding Air Force One. “Let’s see if they can keep them that way.”
Whether this uneasy pause holds or gives way to a broader Middle East war remains uncertain. But with Trump personally mediating between two volatile adversaries, much may depend on his next move.
