Trump Demands End to Iran-Israel Strikes as April Ceasefire Collapses

President Donald Trump demanded on Monday that Israel and Iran “immediately stop ‘shooting’,” after the two foes traded missile and air strikes for the first time since a ceasefire paused weeks of open war on 8 April. The US leader’s message, posted on his Truth Social platform, came hours after Israeli warplanes struck a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr, south-western Iran, and other military targets, and Iran launched roughly 30 ballistic missiles at central and southern Israel, triggering air-raid sirens and interceptions by Israel’s air defences.

The exchange marked the most serious escalation since the truce brokered in early spring. Israeli military officials confirmed the air raids, while Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told reporters in Tehran that “diplomatic consultations continue under all circumstances,” referring to US-Iran talks mediated by Pakistan. Viewed from Washington, the flare-up threatened to unravel a painstakingly constructed diplomatic channel that Trump has sought to maintain even as he tightened a naval blockade on Iranian trade.

Behind the public call for restraint, Trump privately asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from further attacks, according to US and Israeli sources, a plea that appeared to go unheeded. Netanyahu’s decision to retaliate underscored the gap between allied capitals, with Israeli officials framing the strikes as necessary after Iran launched the opening salvo on Sunday evening. In European and Russian diplomatic circles, the exchange was read as a test of the White House’s influence over its closest Middle Eastern partner.

Trump later asserted that both sides were “seeking an immediate ceasefire” and that “final negotiations for ‘peace’ are underway, subject to ignorance or stupidity disrupting them.” He stressed that the blockade would remain in full force until a final agreement is reached, adding that “things must move quickly.” The president’s blend of pressure and engagement reflects an attempt to prevent a broader regional war while preserving leverage to extract concessions from Tehran. Analysts in London noted that the sudden spike in hostility has already rattled oil markets, with any further escalation likely to push prices higher.

The episode leaves the April ceasefire in tatters, yet the back-channel diplomacy suggests neither Iran nor Israel wishes to slide into full-scale conflict. The coming days will reveal whether Trump’s insistence on speed can translate into a durable pact, or whether the cycle of strike and counter-strike will overwhelm the fragile architecture of talks.