![U.S. President Donald Trump departed early Tuesday for a high-stakes NATO summit in Brussels, just hours after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran [Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour]](https://www.thepostnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/6af472b0-09da-48fb-a15f-19c87343e123-large16x9_TrumpPhoto1.jpg)
Trump Departs for NATO Summit After Israel-Iran Ceasefire Falters
(The Post News)- United States President Donald Trump departed early on Tuesday for a potentially high-stakes meeting at NATO in Brussels, hours after a tenuous Israel-Iran ceasefire began dramatically to disintegrate overnight. Trump, speaking to reporters on the South Lawn before he took off on Air Force One, said he had little patience left for either country, wondering aloud if the peace deal he helped broker just the night before would last.
“They’ve been fighting so long and so hard they don’t know what the hell they’re doing,” Trump said, visibly agitated. “I’m not happy with either of them.”
The ceasefire, hailed late Monday as a victory for an end to the most intense combat in the area in over a decade, unraveled within hours. Trump blamed its breakdown on what he called Israel’s retaliatory strike following a solitary rocket fired by Iran-aligned militias that landed without causing harm.
And now I hear that Israel lost their match because they believed that it was violated by one rocket that didn’t land anywhere,” he said. “That is not what we want.”.
Trump, positioned as the chief architect of what he calls a “new dawn” in the Middle East, was apparently irritated by Israel’s pre-dawn strike. “You don’t go out at the first hour and just dump everything you have on them,” he griped. “I’m going to try and stop it. As soon as I get away from you, I’m going to try to stop it.”.
Pressed whether he would speak directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump declined to say but hinted behind-the-scenes work remained underway: “I think everybody knows.”
The president spoke at an impromptu press briefing studded with characteristic shots at the media. He lambasted CNN and MSNBC—reaching back for a nickname for the latter—”MSDNC” for reporting on U.S. air strikes in Iran last week.
“The pilots of the B-2 did their job better than anybody would have ever imagined,” he stated. “That location is finished. But CNN is trying to make it otherwise. It’s fake news. They’re gutless losers.”
Pressed as to whether he thinks that Iran might rebuild its nuclear program after the attack, Trump answered with finality: “Iran will never rebuild its nuclear from there. Absolutely not. That location is under rock. That location is destroyed.
In a brief moment of lucidity among his media rants, Trump also briefly referred to broader regional dynamics. He praised Saudi Arabia’s progress, particularly in women’s rights—although the remark was an exasperated response to questioning about hostages and ceasefire conditions, which highlights the occasionally disjointed character of his public statements.
“Things are happening at a high level,” he stated. “Saudi Arabia has done a very good job. Much, much faster than I expected.”
With some prodding again regarding Gaza, hostages, and enduring peace, Trump offered little in terms of an actual plan but professed, “It’s a new dawn.”
The NATO gathering Trump is set to address takes place at a critical juncture in transatlantic security, with relations between the Middle East and Eastern Europe straining unity in the alliance. Whether the president will seize the moment to further press for peace in the Middle East or scold longtime allies—is anyone’s guess.
As he boarded Air Force One, Trump left behind a farewell, cryptic message: “All I do is play both sides. We’ll see. I’ll let you know.”
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