Despite repeated Iranian attacks that would appear to violate the terms of the ceasefire, Trump maintains it’s still in effect, though he said last week he would restart offensive operations if Iran killed more U.S. troops, which has not happened.

The events of the weekend began when Hezbollah — an Iranian proxy paramilitary group based in Lebanon — fired rockets into northern Israel. Israel’s military responded by targeting a Hezbollah command center in the Dahieh area, which is a suburb of the capital city of Beirut.

Iran then fired a barrage of missiles in response to the Israeli attack on Hezbollah. It was the first time since the war began that Iran had retaliated against Israel directly for an Israeli military operation targeting Hezbollah. A U.S. official told the Washington Examiner it’s unclear yet whether the United States helped Israel by intercepting ballistic missiles heading for it.

The official said experts are still assessing possible U.S. involvement, adding, “We may have intercepted a couple ballistic missiles from Iran,” but they are “working through the analysis.” The U.S. military helped defend Israel during both the Iran war, the 12-Day war, and two prior missile barrages since Israel went on a war footing following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas, which is another one of Iran’s proxy groups.

Iranian officials have repeatedly argued that the U.S.-Israel-Iran ceasefire included Israeli actions against Hezbollah, but the U.S. and Israel disagree. The Trump administration has subsequently tried to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon to help dislodge Hezbollah’s power.

Trump said publicly on Sunday that he did not believe Israel should directly retaliate against Iran for the missile barrage. He also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged him to exercise restraint. However, Israeli forces hit Iranian military targets and a chemical plant in the Mahshahr region, according to Israeli officials.

Many Israeli leaders, some of whom are aligned with Netanyahu and others who aren’t, broadly said the country needed to respond to demonstrate to Iran that an attack wouldn’t go unanswered, even if it meant defying Trump’s desire. Just last week, Trump urged Netanyahu not to strike targets in Beirut, which Israel’s military leaders had threatened to do if Hezbollah continued attacking northern Israel.

The Iranian military’s headquarters said that it had delivered a “painful response” to Israel and would halt its attacks barring additional Israeli attacks in Lebanon, according to Iranian state media. The statement said new Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would be “much more intense and crushing measures than before.”

Similarly, Netanyahu, in his first comments since Israel’s retaliation, said, “right now, the fire has been halted,” but he noted that they would respond “with force” to future Iranian attacks.

He said, “Right now the fire is contained, because after we struck the terror regime in Tehran, it ceased attacking us. If the terror regime in Iran makes the mistake and resumes attacking us—we will respond with force. Israel has full right to self-defense and we exercise it as much as necessary.”

Another Iranian proxy group, the Yemeni-based Houthis, fired a missile at Israel on Monday as well and threatened to target Israeli ships in the narrow Bab al Mandab Strait, a gateway to the Suez Canal connecting Europe and Asia, off Yemen’s coast.

Prior to this weekend’s renewed attacks, a White House official told the Washington Examiner, “Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and while President Trump always prefers a diplomatic solution, he has been clear about the consequences if Iran refuses to make a deal.”

“President Trump will only make a good deal for the American people, which must ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” the official added. “He has been clear about his redlines. Due to the successes of Operation Epic Fury, Economic Fury, and the blockade [in the Strait of Hormuz], President Trump holds the cards and has all the time he needs to make the best deal for the United States and the world.”

On Friday, Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after the two countries shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees the department’s operations in the region. Of the seven missiles fired, six were intercepted, and the last one did not reach its intended target.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week during congressional hearings that the administration is pursuing a two-part deal, the first of which would focus on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, since shortly after the war began, threatened to attack commercial vessels transiting the narrow waterway off its coast that is vital for the global distribution of oil and gas. As a result of those threats and actual attacks, shipping has come to a virtual stop, surging global gas prices.

WHO IS MORE DESPERATE FOR A DEAL: TRUMP OR IRAN?

While Trump said the April 7 ceasefire was contingent on Iran reopening the strait, that did not happen, and as a result, the U.S. began a naval blockade of Iran’s ports so that it, too, would feel an economic burden. But it does not appear that the U.S. blockade has forced the country to the negotiating table yet.

Rubio said the first deal would essentially call for both sides to lift their respective blockades to allow ships to transit safely and without fear of attack, and that the administration was not considering offering sanctions relief as a sweetener for an agreement. Once that deal gets finalized, if it does, the two sides would enter into subsequent negotiations about the Iranian nuclear program, the country’s ballistic missile arsenal, and its support for proxy groups across the nation.