President Trump tells Axios the U.S.–Iran deal to end the war is still on track for Sunday despite Israel's strike in Beirut and the Iranian threat to retaliate.
Why it matters: The president is racing to save a deal that nearly collapsed the moment Israel struck Beirut, leaning on private diplomacy and public messaging to get it signed.
- "It shook it up. It delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now," Trump said in a phone call.
- The escalation in Lebanon took place hours before the U.S. and Iran were supposed to sign a deal to end their war.
State of play: Trump said he was shocked when his advisers called to brief him about the Israeli strike in Beirut, and he fumed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- "It is so bad — I couldn't believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal."
- Trump acknowledged Hezbollah attacked Israel first but stressed it didn't cause any damages and nobody had been killed.
- "Why did Bibi have to do a fucking attack? I was so pisseed off. I let him know. He has no fucking judgement. I let him know that," Trump said.
The big picture: Trump claimed the deal with Iran will be good for Israel because it will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, require the disposal of the nuclear material and allow snap inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.
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