Trump Says Israel and Iran Want an Immediate Ceasefire

President Donald Trump addressed the renewed escalation between Israel and Iran for the first time today (Monday) on Truth Social, calling on both sides to stop the exchange of fire: "Israel and Iran must stop the shooting immediately."

In a follow-up post shortly afterward, he wrote: "Both sides, Israel and Iran, want an immediate ceasefire! The final negotiations on ‘peace’ are moving forward, provided that misunderstanding or stupidity do not stand in the way. The siege will remain fully in effect until a ‘final agreement’ is reached. Things should move quickly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!".

Trump’s remarks came after the fighting resumed last night, following the launch of 11 missiles toward Israel. Later in the night, the Israeli Air Force expanded its operations and struck targets in western and central Iran. About an hour and a half later, alerts were activated across Israel following missile fire from Yemen, while Iran itself launched dozens more missiles in several waves toward Israel.

The IDF spokesperson confirmed that the Air Force carried out a strike on a petrochemical complex in the city of Mahshahr in southwestern Iran. According to the IDF, the infrastructure that was attacked produced unique materials used as essential components for the development of ballistic missiles — critical components in the existing production infrastructure at the complex for the Iranian regime’s missile program. The IDF spokesperson added that the strike joins several other strikes carried out against the complex during Operation "Roar of the Lion."

Trump addressed the escalation in a series of interviews he gave yesterday. In an interview with Fox News, he called on Iran to return to the negotiating table: "You fired your missiles — that’s enough. Go back to the table and make a deal."

The American president also expressed reservations about the Israeli strike in Beirut and said he was "not happy" about it. In his words, "I would say we were going to sign an agreement this week — and now this happened." The website "Axios" reported that Trump intends to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and make clear to him: "I’ll tell him not to attack in Iran in response." Later, a conversation between the two did in fact take place, after which Netanyahu convened a situation assessment.

Trump also addressed the Iranian launches toward Israel, saying that "the Iranian attacks did not hurt anyone. I hope Israel will not respond." He added: "If Netanyahu attacks them back, it will just continue like it has for the last 47 years, or the last 3,000 years."

Even before the fighting resumed, U.S. Central Command published documentation of the deployment of American forces in the region, emphasizing that "American forces throughout the Middle East remain alert and ready."

Later, in an interview with a "Financial Times" reporter, Trump sharpened his message and said: "Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept an agreement with Iran. He doesn’t decide, I decide. The attack did not change my desire to complete the negotiations with Iran." When asked what the U.S. would do if diplomatic efforts fail, he replied: "We’ll see what happens." He added that he would also consider the possibility of limited military action: "Maybe we’ll go in and handle places we didn’t deal with, or maybe we’ll just maintain the siege. The siege was stronger than any attack."