ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump has urged Israel and Iran to immediately stop “shooting” after a chain of strikes threatened to derail the US–Iran peace framework that Washington, Islamabad and regional mediators have been trying to finalise.
The latest escalation began after Israel struck Hezbollah-linked targets in Beirut, a move that Iranian officials had warned would trigger a response. Iran then launched missiles at Israel, before Israel carried out retaliatory strikes inside Iran despite Trump urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to respond.
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Trump posted on Truth Social that Israel and Iran must immediately stop “shooting”, after renewed exchanges pushed the region back towards a wider war. The appeal came after reports that Iranian missile barrages targeted Israel and Israeli strikes hit Iranian military and energy-related sites.
The escalation now raises a central question: whether Trump is willing to confront Netanyahu strongly enough to protect a US–Iran deal that he says remains on track.
Israel’s Beirut Strike Triggered Iranian Response
Israel’s attack on Beirut was initially framed as a strike against Hezbollah infrastructure, but the wider assumption behind the move appeared to be that Tehran would avoid a direct response while talks with Washington continued.
That assumption proved wrong.
Iran launched missiles at Israel after the Beirut strike, with reports saying around 10 missiles were fired at northern Israel. Israeli air defence systems intercepted several projectiles, while Iranian officials presented the attack as a direct response to Israel crossing a red line in Lebanon.
Israeli officials said the Beirut strike followed Hezbollah activity and ceasefire breaches, but Iran viewed the attack as a deliberate test of the wider regional ceasefire understanding.
The result was a dangerous shift: what began as an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah position in Lebanon quickly became a direct Israel–Iran exchange.
Netanyahu Ignored Trump’s Call For Restraint
Trump reportedly urged Netanyahu not to retaliate after Iran’s missile response, warning that further escalation could damage the emerging US–Iran agreement.
Israel nevertheless launched strikes inside Iran, targeting military sites and reportedly hitting energy-related infrastructure, including a petrochemical facility. Netanyahu defied Trump by ordering attacks on Iran after the Iranian missile strike.
That decision reflects the political trap Netanyahu now faces.
Netanyahu has built much of his domestic image around security, deterrence and the promise that Israel will respond forcefully to threats. To be seen as waiting for Washington’s permission or accepting a US deal with Iran while Israeli territory is being targeted would expose him to severe criticism from rivals and his own political base.
With elections looming, Netanyahu has little room to appear subordinate to Trump, even if Israel depends heavily on US military and diplomatic support.
That makes the current crisis more than a military escalation. It is also a political test of whether Netanyahu can accept American restraint without appearing weak at home.
Trump Says Netanyahu Has ‘No Choice’ But To Accept US Deal
Trump has made clear that he believes Netanyahu will ultimately have to accept whatever agreement Washington reaches with Iran.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Trump said Netanyahu would have “no choice” but to accept a US deal with Tehran, adding: “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.”
Trump also said Iran’s missile strikes on Israel would not change his desire to reach a deal.
“I think the deal is going on,” he said, according to reporting on the FT interview. He added that the attacks would not affect the negotiations.
Those comments show that Trump is trying to separate Israeli-Iranian escalation from the US–Iran negotiation track.
But that separation may be difficult to sustain if Israel continues striking Iran and Tehran responds by expanding the battlefield.
Pakistani Channel Remains Active After Missile Strike
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir after Iran’s missile strike on Israel, according to Iranian sources.
Araghchi also held separate calls with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, with the discussions focused on the latest regional developments after Iran’s response to what Tehran describes as repeated violations of the Lebanon ceasefire. Mehr News also reported that Araghchi held calls with Asim Munir and several foreign ministers after the latest escalation.
Pakistani security sources familiar with the negotiations told BPI News that the call with Munir shows the Islamabad channel remains active despite the renewed fighting.
One Pakistani security source told BPI News that Pakistan’s mediation efforts are continuing and that the latest escalation has not ended the process, but has made the environment “far more difficult”.
Another source familiar with the negotiations said the key challenge is now to stop the Israel–Iran track from overwhelming the US–Iran framework.
Iran Says Mediation Efforts Are Continuing
Iranian sources have indicated that Pakistan’s mediation efforts to end the war with the United States are continuing even after fighting resumed with Israel.
That distinction is important. Tehran appears to be separating two tracks: the direct confrontation with Israel, and the mediated process with Washington over the broader war, the Strait of Hormuz and a potential memorandum of understanding.
However, that separation will become harder if Israel continues striking Iranian territory or if Iran expands retaliation beyond Israel.
Pakistani security sources told BPI News that Islamabad is still trying to preserve the diplomatic framework that had been close to finalisation before the latest strikes.
The proposed agreement had focused on ending the war, lifting restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz, easing the US naval blockade, releasing blocked Iranian funds and creating a follow-on period for nuclear negotiations.
Houthis Enter The Escalation
The escalation has also drawn in Yemen’s Houthis.
The Iran-backed movement said it had launched missile strikes against what it described as sensitive targets in Jaffa and announced a complete ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea. The group said any Israeli shipping movements would be considered military targets and warned that it would “confront escalation with escalation”.
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The move raises the risk that the crisis could spread from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, another critical global trade route.
A source close to Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has also suggested that Iran could escalate further if strikes on its energy infrastructure continue, including pressure around Bab el-Mandeb and potential responses against oil, gas and energy infrastructure linked to US-aligned Gulf states. BPI News has not independently verified that claim.
Trump’s Leverage Is Greater Over Israel Than Iran
The key question is now how willing Trump will be to pressure Netanyahu.
Trump has far more leverage over Israel than he does over Iran. Washington supplies Israel with military support, diplomatic backing and political cover. If the US president decides the Iran deal is his priority, Netanyahu may find it difficult to openly resist for long.
But using that leverage carries political risks for Trump. Any public split with Netanyahu could anger pro-Israel voices in Washington and create space for critics to accuse him of weakening Israel during a regional war.
At the same time, if Trump does not pressure Netanyahu, the deal with Iran could collapse.
That is the contradiction at the centre of the crisis. Trump says he calls the shots, but Netanyahu’s decision to strike Iran after being urged to hold back suggests Israel is still prepared to act independently when it sees its security image at stake.
Deal Still Possible, But Harder To Protect
Trump has insisted that the US–Iran deal remains alive, even after Iran’s strikes on Israel.
But the negotiations now face a more dangerous environment. Iran has shown it will respond to Israeli action in Lebanon. Israel has shown it will respond directly against Iran. The Houthis have entered the Red Sea equation. And Tehran is warning that the conflict could expand if energy infrastructure is targeted.
Pakistani security sources told BPI News that mediators are working to prevent the latest exchanges from destroying the framework, but warned that each new strike reduces the political space for compromise.
One source familiar with the talks said the agreement can still survive if Washington restrains Israel and Tehran limits its response. Without that, the source said, the diplomatic track risks being overtaken by the battlefield.
The coming hours will test whether Trump can turn his public demand for both sides to stop shooting into actual pressure, especially on Netanyahu.