(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning had strong words for Israel and Iran as he accused both nations of violating a ceasefire agreement he announced just the night prior.
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard, that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing. Do you understand that?” Trump told ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott when asked if both nations were committed to peace.
Trump was clearly frustrated as he spoke with reporters before departing the White House for a NATO summit at The Hague in the Netherlands.
“Israel says Iran violated the peace agreement and the ceasefire agreement. Do you believe that Iran is still committed to peace?” Scott asked the president.
“I do, yeah. They violated it but Israel violated it, too,” Trump responded.
Scott then asked Trump if he was questioning Israel’s commitment to peace.
“Israel as soon as we made the deal, they came out and dropped a boat load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before,” Trump said. “The biggest load that we’ve seen, I’m not happy with Israel. Ok, when I say now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So I’m not happy with him. I’m not happy with Iran either.”
Neither Iran nor Israel have publicly commented on Trump’s remarks about the apparent ceasefire violations.
Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday morning, sources familiar with the call told ABC News.
A White House source provided a brief readout of the call: “President Trump was exceptionally firm and direct with Prime Minister Netanyahu about what needed to happen to sustain the ceasefire. The Prime Minister understood the severity of the situation and the concerns President Trump expressed.”
Trump said on social media Monday evening that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire, signaling a possible end to nearly two weeks of escalating air assaults by the two countries.
The agreement described by Trump involved two 12-hour ceasefire periods, starting at about 12 a.m. EDT starting with Iran. That would come “when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions,” Trump said in the post.
Israel would then follow with a second 12-hour ceasefire, Trump said.
After 24 hours, the war would be officially declared ended, according to Trump.
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