President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept any deal the United States negotiates with Iran, asserting that he, not Netanyahu, is the one who controls the outcome, according to the Financial Times.
Trump made the comments in a telephone interview with the outlet on Sunday, hours after Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in what appeared to be the most serious breach of the ceasefire struck in early April. “He won’t have any choice,” Trump told the Financial Times. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.”
The remarks came hours after Israel struck a Hezbollah command center in Beirut, which Iran cited as justification for firing at least 10 ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday, according to the New York Post. Iran’s military said its acceptance of the April 8 ceasefire was conditional on a halt to hostilities on all fronts, and accused the US and Israel of failing to honor that commitment.
Trump signals deal still on track despite missile exchange, warns of commando raid if talks fail
Despite the flare-up, Trump reportedly insisted that Iran’s missile strikes would not change his approach to the ongoing negotiations with Tehran. “It’s not going to have any impact on the deal,” he said, adding, “The deal may make it on its own merit, or not, but this will not have any effect on it.”
Trump also appeared to soften his earlier bullish tone on the prospects of a quick agreement. “I think the deal is going on,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.” This marked a notable shift from his reportedly more confident posture since Vice President JD Vance led the first round of negotiations with Iran in early April. Trump has also previously suggested he doesn’t care about Iran talks possibly collapsing.
When asked what would happen if a deal failed on its merits, Trump said he would consider a commando raid on Iran. “It means two things,” he said. “Number one, it would mean that possibly we would go in and take care of the rest of the place that we didn’t take care of militarily. Or it would just mean that we would keep the blockade on Iran because the blockade has been probably more powerful than any attack that was ever made on that country.”
Trump separately told Fox News, as reported by Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, who said he could see incoming Iranian missiles out the window while speaking with Trump, that the strikes were “certainly not going to help negotiations.” The president urged Iran to stand down, saying, “What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal.”
Trump also told Axios on Sunday that he was calling Netanyahu to tell him not to strike Iran in retaliation. “Each of them had their fun. If Bibi strikes them back it’s just gonna keep going like the last 47 years, or the last 3,000 years,” Trump said.
Also, Trump reportedly cursed at Netanyahu during their heated call: “You’re f–king crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” Trump confirmed the call took place and did not dispute how it was characterized, according to the Financial Times.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, appeared intent on escalating. Iran’s military said in a statement that its acceptance of the April 8 ceasefire was conditional on a halt to hostilities on all fronts, and accused the US and Israel of failing to uphold their commitments. Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned that Israel would face “a more crushing response and heavier costs” if it retaliates.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wrote on X that Israel’s response would be a “moment of truth,” warning that a “weak or symbolic response” would signal to enemies that Israeli lives could be taken without consequence.
Published: Jun 9, 2026 12:15 pm