Tensions between Iran and Israel reached new heights this week, but so did the pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump, who found himself publicly scolding both nations while trying to hold together a shaky ceasefire. The 79-year-old president made a flurry of emotional and expletive-laced declarations Tuesday morning. This came before Trump had declared the ceasefire between Iran and Israel remained “in effect,” on social media.
His mood darkened before the post as he spoke about them going against the ceasefire he initially announced yesterday. “They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing,” he raged to reporters gathered on the White House lawn on his way to NATO summit in The Hague. He pointed fingers at both Iran and Israel for violating the very truce he had brokered.
The president expressed his dissatisfaction with both nations, saying, “I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning.”
His frustration appeared to centre on Israeli airstrikes that allegedly followed the truce. “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,” he said.
In an earlier post that same morning, Trump issued a warning directly to Israel: “DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO, IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
While the ceasefire remained officially in place, tension is brewing between the U.S. President and Israel, one of America’s closest allies. Behind this moment of tension lies a long and complicated history between Iran and Israel, which have been at war for decades.
The two nations have never had formal diplomatic relations and often operate through proxy battles across the Middle East. As for the president, Trump is now attempting to mediate peace. Notably, he previously withdrew the U.S. from a nuclear deal with Iran.
