Trump calls on Iran, Israel to ‘stop shooting,’ return to talks

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

The ceasefire and a potential Iranian deal could be in shambles as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks early Monday.

President Donald Trump, still seeking a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began Feb. 28, told the two countries that they should “immediately stop ‘shooting,’” Trump wrote in a brief Truth Social post on Monday.

The president penned another truth, arguing that Israel and Iran “are looking to do an immediate ceasefire,” adding that “final negotiations on ‘peace’ are proceeding subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.”

“The blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘final deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly,” Trump wrote.

The strikes began over the weekend after the Iranian proxy terror group, Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, targeted northern Israel with drones and rockets, followed by Israel retaliating by striking a Hezbollah target in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Iran then came to the defense of its proxy by launching a barrage of missiles at Israel. In addition to Iranian missiles being launched, Iran’s proxy in Yemen, the Houthis, who have been relatively quiet since the conflict began, launched two missiles toward Israel.

Iran is believed to have launched at least 20 ballistic missiles toward Israel, either being intercepted or striking in open areas. The two launched from Yemen were intercepted and failed mid-flight.

U.S. Central Command reportedly assisted Israel in intercepting some of the missiles.

Houthis are now threatening to mimic Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz by blocking a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while declaring a ban on Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed it has struck “several infrastructure sites at the petrochemical complex” in the southwestern region of the Islamic Republic. The IDF claims the “facilities were used by the armed forces of the Iranian terror regime to produce and export raw materials for weapons production.”

In addition, the IDF confirms that it struck Iranian military targets in western and central Iran as part of its retaliation.

In recent weeks, the U.S. and Iran have exchanged fire, with the U.S. strikes being described as “defensive” in nature, while maintaining the ceasefire remains intact.

Trump continues to call on Iran to make a deal, reiterating that the Islamic Republic must give up its nuclear program, demanding they hand over their “nuclear dust.” The president also calls on Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been essentially closed since the beginning of the conflict.

The ceasefire, which at one point the president characterized as beingas being on life support, was put into effect on April 8.

The president claims time is on the side of the U.S. in negotiations with Iran as the blockade on Iranian ports remains in effect, with the White House claiming it is costing the Iranian economy an estimated $400-500 million a day.