Trump urges restraint, Israel bombs Iran anyway
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- President Trump told Axios he would call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate after Iran's missile barrage.
- Israel bombed Iran on Monday, shortly after Trump's call for restraint, following Iran's missile attack that responded to Israel's earlier bombing of southern Beirut.
- Iran Foreign Ministry said the missile strike was a defensive response to Israel's breach of the April ceasefire and U.S.-backed attacks, and asserted that the United States bears responsibility for any escalation.
- Chris Murphy condemned the conflict as humiliating for Trump and noted that Netanyahu's swift retaliation after Trump's call compounded the humiliation.
- Israel Defense Forces pledged to continue operations across Lebanon and to prevent any fire directed at Israel.
Why it matters: The escalation shows that US diplomatic pressure failed to curb Israeli military action, weakening Trump's leverage in any Iran deal and raising regional tensions.
