LEILA FADEL, HOST:
It has been a dizzying and confusing 12 days. And I'm just going to walk you through what's happened. First, Israel struck nuclear facilities inside Iran and killed top military officials and nuclear scientists, some in their homes. For days then, Iran and Israel traded fire, and many people were killed. And then the U.S. got involved, carrying out strikes inside Iran. And Iran responded with strikes on a U.S. airbase in Qatar. And then suddenly, President Trump declared a ceasefire had been reached between Iran and Israel. But hours into the deal, it already seems to be falling apart. And to walk us through that, we're joined by senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Hey, Tam.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Hi.
FADEL: So what's happening with the ceasefire?
KEITH: Yeah, let me walk you through the timeline. Overnight, we got word that both Israel and Iran had agreed to the ceasefire. But right up to the time it was supposed to take effect, Israel intensified its strikes in Iran. And then, just as it should've been taking effect, Israel says Iran sent missiles in its direction, something Iranian state media is denying. Now Israel's defense minister says he has ordered a forceful response involving, quote, "intense strikes" against targets in the heart of Tehran. So it looks like the firing hasn't ceased. But, you know, the situation is often pretty dicey and uncertain at the start of any ceasefire.
FADEL: And we just heard remarks from President Trump. He was angry. What did he say?
KEITH: Yeah, he spoke this morning on the South Lawn of the White House. You can hear chopper noise behind him. And he said he is not happy with either of them.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I'm not happy with Israel. You know, when I say, OK, now you have 12 hours, you don't go out in the first hour, just drop everything you have on them. So I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with Iran either. But I'm really unhappy if Israel's going out this morning because of one rocket that didn't land, that was shot perhaps by mistake, that didn't land.
KEITH: He said he was going to see if he could do something to stop it. Then he got on Marine One and posted on Truth Social, Israel, do not drop those bombs. If you do, it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home now. And I do want to draw attention to one other thing he said, which really illustrates his anger at this moment. I have never seen a U.S. president use the F-word on camera, ever. And yet, President Trump did, saying, quote, "we basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the blank they're doing."
FADEL: OK, Tam, so not surprising to hear President Trump use harsh language when referring to Iran, but as you said, extremely unusual for a president to use the F-word on camera. But these are some strong words he has for Israel, a U.S. ally.
KEITH: You know, President Trump often has stronger words for U.S. allies than he does for traditional U.S. enemies. And in this case, he just seems to be disappointed with the way this has unfolded.
FADEL: Tam, how did the president go from ordering strikes on nuclear facilities inside Iran just a few days ago to then demanding peace and brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran?
KEITH: He actually demanded peace in that very first Truth Social post on Saturday night announcing the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. And at the time, it seemed like wishful thinking. But if this ceasefire holds - and that is a really big if - it fits with Trump's mantra of peace through strength. A lot of his supporters didn't want the president to get the U.S. involved in Israel's conflict with Iran. It's been a difficult few days for the Trump base. But at this moment, it looks like he may have found a way for this to be a one and done strike and not a wider war. But again, a lot is in flux.
FADEL: NPR's Tamara Keith. Thank you, Tam.
KEITH: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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