U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly unleashed an expletive-laden tirade at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The outburst came after Iran declared it would suspend negotiations with the United States, citing Israel's massive offensive against Hezbollah. Trump moved to contain the fallout, saying "we'll have a deal with Iran within a week," and Iran — which had earlier announced a halt to talks — said discussions were continuing.
U.S. online outlet Axios reported on the 1st (local time), citing a source briefed on the call by two U.S. officials, that "Trump was furious and yelled at Netanyahu, 'What the hell are you doing?'"
The exchange is seen as Trump applying heavy pressure on Netanyahu after Iran earlier that morning suspended ceasefire negotiations over Israel's attacks on Lebanon. On the 1st, Iran's Tasnim News reported that "the crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) in Lebanon continue," adding, "Given that Lebanon was one of the preconditions of the (April 8) ceasefire, and as the ceasefire is now being violated on all fronts including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team has decided to halt dialogue and document exchanges through mediators."
According to Axios, Trump unloaded harsh language on Netanyahu, telling him, "You are fucking crazy. If it wasn't for me, you'd be in prison. Everyone hates Israel because of this (Israel's attack on Hezbollah)."
Immediately after the call, Trump moved to control public perception. On Truth Social, he declared, "There will be no Israeli forces going into Beirut. Forces currently moving in have already been turned back." In a phone interview with ABC News the same day, he said, "There was a little problem today, but I reversed it very quickly," adding, "I think within the next week you'll be talking about it (a ceasefire agreement with Iran)."
Shortly after Trump's announcement of a halt to hostilities, Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the Israeli military had postponed airstrikes on Beirut at Washington's request. Reuters, citing Lebanon's embassy in Washington, reported that "Israel has agreed to refrain from airstrikes on Beirut and nearby areas controlled by Hezbollah, while the Iran-linked Hezbollah will halt attacks on Israel." According to Trump, Hezbollah has also pledged through intermediaries not to attack Israel.
Iranian local media reported that Iran is still in negotiations with the United States. Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on the 2nd that "Iran is still reviewing the final document of the memorandum of understanding with the United States and has not yet sent a response." It added cautiously, "Due to the U.S. record of breaking promises and historical distrust, Iran has adopted a very strict approach to this issue."
However, Netanyahu said even after Trump's announcement that he would continue military operations in southern Lebanon. On X (formerly Twitter), he stressed, "Our position has not changed," and "The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue operations in southern Lebanon as planned." Indeed, Israel struck southern Lebanon again on the 2nd, and Israeli drones were spotted over Beirut. The IDF also said it had intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
Even if the Israel-Hezbollah issue is resolved and the fragile talks continue, gaps between the U.S. and Iranian positions remain. CNN reported on the 1st that Trump returned the end-of-war MOU draft to Iran because he wanted Tehran's commitments on the nuclear issue and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian government continues to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), established by Iran to manage passage through the strait, announced on the 1st (local time) that more than 300 vessels had applied for permits to pass through the strait over the past month.
