US President Donald Trump warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against reigniting conflict with Iran, cautioning that Israel could find itself isolated if it returned to war.
“I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'” Axios quoted Trump as saying in an interview.
Trump said several countries in the region had urged Washington to prevent further escalation and push Israel towards restraint.
“These countries were very concerned. They love the deal that we have been negotiating,” Trump said, adding that five regional nations had contacted him on the issue.
He also claimed that Iran had conveyed through messages on Monday morning that it was prepared to halt attacks if Israel did the same.
“They called us and said that they are not doing any more attacks and asked us to tell Israel not to do any more attacks,” Trump told Axios.
The US President said his conversation with Netanyahu played a key role in stopping a planned Israeli strike against Iran. Referring to Sunday’s developments, he claimed Israel had informed Washington only at the last moment.
“They were already on their way. But eventually I had [the Israeli strike] limited,” Trump said.
He further reiterated that Tehran remains interested in reaching an agreement with Washington and suggested a deal could be concluded soon.
“It is going to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and stop enrichment. It is a phenomenal deal. We are getting everything we wanted,” Trump claimed.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, pushed back against Trump’s remarks, saying the US President’s recent comments regarding the draft memorandum of understanding did not reflect what had been agreed upon.
“We have no trust in the other side,” Ghalibaf said.
Events leading up to the ceasefire
The statements come after a two-day military escalation disrupted a fragile regional truce. The crisis began with an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah operatives and was followed by large-scale ballistic missile attacks launched by Iran against Israel.
Despite Trump’s public calls for restraint, Israel carried out retaliatory strikes inside Iran early on Monday, targeting air defence systems, missile production facilities and the Karun petrochemical plant.
The confrontation ended later on Monday after intensive US efforts helped secure a conditional ceasefire. Iran halted what it described as warning strikes, while Netanyahu agreed to suspend further operations, while warning that any future Iranian aggression would be met with overwhelming force.