Israel and Iran appeared to back away from further strikes Monday, hours after they traded fire for the first time since the United States agreed to a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago. Both countries warned that they were ready to launch retaliatory attacks if provoked.
The new attacks prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to call for an immediate stop to fighting between Israel and Iran.
Soon after, the Iranian military’s joint command issued a statement that said it was halting offensive strikes. The statement said further “aggression and hostile acts” by Israel and its supporters, including in southern Lebanon, would be met with “much more severe and crushing measures than before.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in a videotaped statement, implied that the current round of fighting was over. But he also warned that if Iran “makes the mistake and returns to attacking us, we will respond with force.”
Netanyahu said Israel is continuing to operate in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, and that Israel “has full right to self-defense, and we will exercise it to the full extent necessary.”
Ceasefire Signals Amid Continued Fighting
Iran’s announcement came as U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism that both sides were moving toward a ceasefire despite the renewed violence.“Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
“Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.”
Earlier in the day, Trump had urged both countries to immediately stop “shooting” after Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks.
The president also said a U.S.-led blockade targeting Iran would remain in place until a final peace deal has been struck.
“The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached,” Trump wrote.
The latest military activity has threatened to complicate negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which Trump has repeatedly described as nearing a breakthrough despite months of conflict.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said earlier Monday that the latest fighting would only worsen an already “chaotic diplomatic process” and said indirect contacts with Washington were taking place in an atmosphere of “extreme suspicion.”
Baghaei accused Israel of attempting to sabotage diplomacy and said the United States bore responsibility for actions taken by its ally.
Despite the escalation in tensions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post on Monday that Tehran has not abandoned negotiations with the United States.
“Diplomacy and defense are the two wings of national power,” Pezeshkian said in the post. “We have neither left the battlefield nor abandoned the negotiating table.”
The latest developments came after the Israeli military said early Monday that it had struck targets in western and central Iran.
Senior Israeli security officials told Epoch Magazine Israel that the first wave of attacks targeted restored air-defense systems, an airport, and a drone base in an effort to create an aerial corridor for possible future operations.
A second wave targeted facilities within the petrochemical complex in Mahshahr in southwestern Iran, according to Israeli officials.
Iran responded with another round of missile launches toward Israel, while the Houthis renewed attacks from Yemen.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said Iran had fired 11 ballistic missiles toward Israel and defended Israel’s military response.
“Each one of those missiles can level an entire neighborhood and kill hundreds,” Leiter wrote on social media. “No self-respecting country in the world would tolerate such an attack, and neither will Israel.”
Senior officials in Jerusalem told Epoch Magazine Israel that Israel’s smaller security cabinet was expected to meet later Monday to discuss the latest escalation and determine next steps. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held consultations overnight with senior security officials.