U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday demanded both Iran and Israel halt the military attacks on one another “immediately.”
“Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. In a second post, he added that the two countries “are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE” and that peace negotiations are proceeding, “subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.”
Trump’s remarks came after Iran launched missiles at Israel on Sunday night for the first time since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in April. Tehran said the attack was retaliation for Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon earlier that day.
Although Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to reciprocate, Israel responded with strikes of its own during the early hours of Monday morning, ignoring Trump’s calls for restraint.
The Israel Defense Forces said they had struck facilities in Iran used to store missiles and manufacture missile components, while Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj and Tabriz.
After sunrise, the Israeli military reported a new barrage of missiles launched from Iran. A spokesperson for the Iranian forces in Tehran also threatened to respond “even more forcefully” if further “aggression and acts of hostility” take place.
Trump’s push for a renewed ceasefire has found support among EU officials. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of defense ministers in Cyprus on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there needed to be a “diplomatic solution.”
“We can help after the ceasefire, also with escorting ships, and we will discuss this today,” she said.
This article has been updated.
