The US-Iran war reached its most critical juncture as Iran struck Israeli territory with ballistic missiles for the first time since the April 8 ceasefire. Israel signaled a hardline response against Iran, even raising the possibility of all-out war. While both Iran and Israel declared a halt to attacks following repeated calls for restraint from US President Donald Trump, the possibility of renewed armed conflict has been raised depending on developments.
On Monday, the public affairs office of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted Israel's Ramat David Air Base, Tel Nof, and Nevatim Air Base. Israeli military radio reported that about 30 missiles were fired from Iran and one from Yemen toward Israel.
Iran's justification for striking Israeli territory, breaking a ceasefire that had held for nearly two months, was Lebanon. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which oversees the integrated command of Iranian forces, emphasized in a statement immediately after the missile launch that the attack was retaliation for Israel's strike on Hezbollah strongholds. In response, the Israeli military said, "The Iranian regime has made a grave mistake. We are preparing for the possibility of further Iranian attacks," signaling immediate retaliation. The following day, on Tuesday, it announced that its air force had struck military targets in western and central Iran. According to local media, explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran, in Tabriz in the northwest, Isfahan in the central region, and Karaj in the west. Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Israel had also bombed the Karun petrochemical plant in Mahshahr, Khuzestan province, in southwestern Iran.
Iran immediately launched a counter-retaliation. This time, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen also joined in by firing ballistic missiles. It was also the first time Yemen had attacked Israeli territory since the ceasefire. Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni military, threatened, "We are imposing a total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea." Attacks on US military bases in the Middle East also resumed. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, placed the blame for the resumption of attacks on President Trump, saying, "The United States is cooperating closely with Israel in all respects, both defensive and offensive." The Israeli military issued a warning that it was preparing for armed conflict to continue for the coming days, and that it had even left open the possibility of a full-scale resumption of war.
As tensions between the two sides escalated rapidly, President Trump stepped in to mediate. Citing a senior US official and Israeli sources, Axios reported, "President Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ask him to 'exercise restraint (in retaliation) because an agreement is getting closer.'" Sources said, "Netanyahu pushed back but effectively agreed." In a telephone interview with Fox News, President Trump said, "The agreement will be signed this coming Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday (the 10th). But now this has happened," and urged Iran, "That's enough now. Come back to the negotiating table and make a deal." Through Truth Social, President Trump also called for a halt to hostilities, saying, "Israel and Iran must immediately stop firing." Accordingly, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced in a statement released through Iranian media that day, "We have delivered a painful response to the Zionist regime (Israel) and declare a halt to operations by Iranian forces." However, it did not forget to add a warning: "While Iranian military operations are being halted, we clearly emphasize that if the aggression and wrongdoing of our enemies, including in southern Lebanon, continues, we will take measures far stronger and more overwhelming than before." Israel was also reported to have decided to continue its engagement with Hezbollah while halting its attacks on Iran shortly afterward.
President Trump, too, called for a halt to hostilities between Israel and Iran, but maintained his position of keeping the naval blockade against Iran in place. "Until a final agreement is reached, the blockade (the naval blockade targeting Iran) will continue and will be brought to maximum effect with all our might," he said. "The situation will move quickly."
As the conflict between Iran and Israel reached its worst point since the ceasefire, anxiety among neighboring Middle Eastern countries grew again. Qatar News Agency said Tuesday that Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss mediation between Iran and the United States and the latest situation in Lebanon. However, observers expect that reversing the situation in the short term will not be easy. Kazem Jalali, Iran's ambassador to Russia, notified that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen as of Tuesday but that tolls set by Iran and Oman would be imposed. Free passage through the Strait of Hormuz had been strongly demanded by the Trump administration as a condition for negotiations, but this effectively disregards that demand.
