Trump to Axios: Netanyahu has "no fucking judgment" but Iran deal still on
Article excerpt
President Trump told Axios the U.S., Iran deal to end the war remains on track for Sunday, despite Israel's strike in Beirut and Iranian threats of retaliation. In the same conversation, Trump harshly criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying he has "no fucking judgment", a pointed rebuke of Israel's military actions that threatened to derail negotiations. The comments reveal tension between the administration's diplomatic push and its closest Middle East ally, with Trump racing to salvage a deal that could reshape regional security.
President Trump tells Axios the U.S., Iran deal to end the war is still on track for Sunday despite Israel's strike in Beirut and the Iranian threat to retaliate.
Why it matters: The president is racing to save a deal that nearly collapsed the moment Israel struck Beirut, leaning on private diplomacy and public messaging to get it signed. Iranian officials haven't confirmed a deal is expected to be signed today.
"It shook it up. It delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now," Trump said in a phone call.
The escalation in Lebanon took place hours before the U.S. and Iran were supposed to sign a deal to end their war.
Ebrahim Azizi, chair of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, wrote on X: "A strong response is coming"
State of play: Trump said he was shocked when his advisers called to brief him about the Israeli strike in Beirut, and he fumed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It is so bad, I couldn't believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal."
Trump acknowledged Hezbollah attacked Israel first but stressed it didn't cause any damage and nobody had been killed.
"Why did Bibi have to do a fucking attack? I was so pissed off. I let him know. He has no fucking judgement. I let him know that," Trump said.
The big picture: Trump claimed the deal with Iran will be good for Israel because it will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, require the disposal of the nuclear material and allow snap inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.
It wasn't immediately clear if Trump received any direct assurance from Tehran that the signing remains on track.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.