Politics
BREAKING: Trump Drops ‘F Bomb’ After Iran, Israel Trade Blows At Ceasefire Deadline
President Donald Trump tore into Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire he brokered just hours after it was announced, casting doubt on the chances for long-term peace after 12 days of conflict.
In an expletive-laced tirade, the president singled out Israel for sending fighter jets into Iran after Tehran fired a missile into a Tel Aviv apartment complex, killing four Israelis. Trump had just finished declaring that a phased-in ceasefire was in effect.
“You know, when I say okay, now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour, just drop everything you have on them,” Trump told reporters outside the White House Tuesday morning. “So 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 because the one rocket that didn’t land, that was shot, perhaps by mistake, that didn’t land, I’m not happy about that.”
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard, that they don’t know what the f**k they are doing,” Trump added.
“I’m gonna see if I can stop it,” he added.
WATCH:
Trump was set to stride confidently into the Hague on Tuesday, where NATO ambassadors are meeting to discuss the prospects for peace in the Middle East. He garnered bipartisan praise for bombing Iran, especially after the country’s muted retaliation, which included giving the U.S. advance notice of its intent to fire on a military base in Qatar.
“Heading to NATO where, at worst, it will be a much calmer period than what I just went through with Israel and Iran. I look forward to seeing all of my very good European friends, and others. Hopefully, much will be accomplished!” Trump wrote shortly after boarding Marine One.
“I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,” he added.
Shortly after his remarks, Trump fired a second salvo at Israel for scrambling jets to initiate another attack on Iran.
“ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!” Trump wrote. “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!”
A ceasefire agreement was reached late Monday after Iran, through a Qatari intermediary, agreed to halt further attacks if Israel reciprocated. What many feared to be the start of a new war in the region appeared headed for a speedy resolution.
Now, President Trump will be tested on his ability to keep both sides participating in the pursuit of peace, which likely will require bringing Iran’s nuclear enrichment program to an end. The country is believed to possess uranium enriched to 60%, below the 90% threshold required for nuclear weapons, but well on its way to being there, Politico reported
Officials are also exploring the possibility that Iran has shuffled parts of its nuclear program beyond the eyes of international observers. The U.S. and Israel both struck facilities containing centrifuges that produced Iran’s enriched uranium — including the underground Fordow bunker — but Middle East experts fear that the attacks may only serve to embolden hardliners who will argue that the pursuit of a nuclear weapon is the only sure path to avoiding future attacks.