President Trump said that the US and Iran were still on track to sign a peace deal Sunday that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 his 80th birthday \u2014 despite Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that apparently infuriated Tehran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump told\u00a0Fox News\u2019 Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst that he asked Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu,\u00a0\u201cWhat the f\u2014 are you doing?\u201d in response to the strikes.<\/p>\n
Following the blunt call with the prime minister, Trump revealed\u00a0that he planned\u00a0to speak with Iranian officials and press them not to strike Israel in retaliation. He also predicted that the\u00a0memorandum\u00a0of understanding with Iran will\u00a0get\u00a0signed within the next two to three hours \u2014 or sometime late afternoon Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
President Trump called out Israel for its attack on Lebanon Sunday. REUTERS<\/p>\n
Israel had carried out strikes near Beirut <\/a>Sunday in response to Hezbollah firing shots towards Israeli territory.<\/p>\n The president\u00a0confirmed that\u00a0he plans to lift the blockade on Iranian vessels if Tehran agrees to the memorandum of\u00a0understanding and\u00a0mused that\u00a0there may later be an in-person signing of the preliminary peace deal in the future\u00a0after the planned electronic signing on Sunday.<\/p>\n Publicly, Trump had\u00a0dinged\u00a0Israel over the strikes\u00a0on the outskirts of Beirut.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smoke rising from an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on June 14, 2026. REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cThis morning\u2019s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,\u201d Trump\u00a0posted on Truth Social<\/a>. \u201d Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down,\u201d he went on. \u201cThere should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s not blow it!\u201d<\/p>\n An Israeli fighter jet seen flying over southern Lebanon on Sunday. ATEF SAFADI\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n A building in a suburb of Beirut destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. WAEL HAMZEH\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n The Israeli Defense Forces claimed to have\u00a0taken out\u00a0a Hezbollah command center near Beirut in\u00a0its\u00a0retaliatory strikes Sunday.\u00a0Hezbollah had launched rockets and drones toward northern Israel, according to top officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hezbollah rejected a cease-fire proposal<\/a>\u00a0with Israel last month.<\/p>\n