U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, June 24, berated both Iran and Israel for violating a ceasefire agreement he had brokered just hours earlier, expressing particular frustration with Israel’s role in the renewed hostilities.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump appeared visibly angry and used unusually blunt language to describe the situation. “The two countries have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing, do you understand that?” he said, referring to Iran and Israel. “I’m really unhappy with Israel,” he added, criticizing its actions following what was intended to be a de-escalation deal.
Also read: World Condemns US Bombing of Iran’s Nuke sites
Tensions escalated rapidly overnight despite Trump’s announcement on Monday that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had been reached. The situation took a turn on Tuesday morning when Israel’s Defense Minister accused Iran of breaching the agreement after Iranian forces reportedly fired two missiles into Israeli territory. In response, Israel vowed retaliatory action, threatening what it called “intense” strikes against regime targets in Tehran.
Confusion surrounded the timeline and enforcement of the ceasefire. While Trump had declared early Tuesday that the truce had “taken effect,” fighting continued, with Israeli and Iranian forces exchanging strikes that killed nine people in Iran and five in Israel during the early morning hours.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested on social media that his country would halt its military response only if Israel ceased its “illegal aggression.” He added that Iran’s final decision on ending military operations would be determined later, casting further doubt on the durability of the truce.
Iranian state media eventually confirmed that a ceasefire was in place, echoing Trump’s earlier announcement. However, the ceasefire appeared to have already been undermined by the strikes that followed Trump’s declaration.
Tuesday’s hostilities came on the heels of an already tense standoff, which included Iran’s limited missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar—a response to American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities the day before. The escalating series of retaliatory strikes underscored the fragile nature of the ceasefire and raised fresh concerns over the possibility of a wider regional conflict.
The flare-up marks another setback for diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and poses a significant challenge for the White House, which had hoped the ceasefire would ease tensions between the two longtime adversaries. Instead, the brief lull gave way to renewed violence, leaving the ceasefire agreement on shaky ground.
