US President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have no option but to accept any agreement negotiated between Washington and Tehran, underscoring what he described as America's dominant role in shaping the outcome of the crisis.
Speaking to the Financial Times in a telephone interview on Sunday, Trump said, “He won’t have any choice. He (Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots. I call the shots. I call all the shots.”
The remarks came shortly after Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel in what was described as the most serious violation of the ceasefire reached in early April.
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Trump pushes diplomacy after missile attack
According to Axios, Trump urged Netanyahu not to retaliate against the Iranian missile barrage and instead give diplomacy more time. The report, citing a senior US official and an Israeli source familiar with the discussions, said Trump conveyed the message during a phone call with the Israeli leader.
Iran said its missile attack was in response to an Israeli strike on Beirut earlier in the day.
The Israeli military reported at least three waves of incoming missiles and said its air defence systems were "currently identifying and intercepting threats". It later stated that all Iranian missiles had been intercepted.
Iran warns of broader response
Tensions escalated further as Iranian officials accused Israel of crossing a dangerous threshold.
Iran's military central command said Israel's strike on Beirut suburbs had "crossed all red lines" and demanded an end to its military campaign in Lebanon.
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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's Parliament speaker and chief negotiator in talks with the United States, alleged that Washington had given a "green light" for the Beirut strike and said US and Israeli assets were now "legitimate targets".
However, a senior US official cited by Axios rejected that claim, saying the Trump administration had not approved the Israeli operation.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the missile attack on Israel was a "warning" and cautioned that any repeat of such actions would trigger a broader response targeting US and Israeli interests. It also said it had accepted a ceasefire with the United States on the condition that it was “a ceasefire on all fronts”.
Israel launches strikes inside Iran
Hours after Trump's comments, Israel carried out airstrikes in central and western Iran.
Iranian state television reported explosions in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran. Iran later closed the airspace around Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport following the strikes.
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As the operation began, the Israeli military was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times, “A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran.”
The latest exchange has further heightened tensions and raised concerns about a broader regional conflict.
