Donald Trump has called for a deal between Iran and Israel amid intensifying military exchanges but stunned observers by suggesting both sides may need to “fight it out” before peace becomes possible.
The former U.S. president made the comments on Sunday, June 15, while addressing reporters outside the White House en route to the G7 Summit in Ottawa. As missile barrages and drone strikes lit up the skies over Tel Aviv and Tehran, Trump’s words added fuel to global fears of a broader regional war. “It’s time for a deal,” he said. “But sometimes they have to fight it out. We’ll see what happens.”
Fighting erupted Friday after Israeli warplanes launched multiple strikes deep into Iranian territory, killing several top Revolutionary Guard officials, targeting suspected nuclear facilities, and damaging residential areas in Isfahan, Natanz, and Tehran. Iran retaliated with long-range ballistic missiles, striking military targets and infrastructure in central and northern Israel, including near Haifa and Be’er Sheva.
Analysts say the ongoing exchange marks a dramatic shift from covert warfare to open confrontation between the two arch-rivals. “We’ve never seen this level of direct engagement,” said Ari Golan, a defense analyst at the Jerusalem Strategic Forum. “It’s no longer proxy-based. This is state-on-state warfare.”
Trump sidestepped questions about whether he privately advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back airstrikes. However, a high-ranking U.S. intelligence source told The Atlantic Wire that Trump allegedly rejected a classified Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fearing a global escalation beyond repair.
The White House has not officially commented on the assassination plot claims, though sources within the U.S. National Security Council confirmed urgent backchannel communications with Qatar, Turkey, and Oman—nations often acting as intermediaries for U.S.-Iran dialogue. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council is expected to convene an emergency session later this week.
Over 400 casualties have been reported across both nations since Friday, with widespread damage to infrastructure and surging civilian displacement in affected regions. Humanitarian organizations are urging an immediate ceasefire, while fears of oil supply disruption from the Persian Gulf have triggered global market volatility.
