WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on June 14 “this war in Israel-Iran should end,” with his comments coming in a social media post on his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Key quote

“The call (between Trump and Putin) lasted approximately 1 hour. He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Mr Trump said, on Truth Social.

Why it’s important

Mr Trump's comments mark the first time he has explicitly called for an end to hostilities between Washington's ally Israel and its Middle East rival Iran since Israel began striking Iran late on June 12 US time and early on June 13 Middle East time.

Iran launched its own retaliatory strikes against Israel and the hostilities have raised alarm in a region already on edge since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.

Iranian officials have said dozens have been killed in Israel’s attacks while Iran’s missile volleys killed at least three in Israel on June 13, according to Israeli officials.

Context

Mr Trump said he and Mr Putin mostly discussed the Middle East and spent “much less time” talking about Russia’s war in Ukraine. Mr Trump hinted at follow up discussions on the war in Ukraine in the coming week and said in his post that he told Mr Putin that Moscow’s war in Ukraine should also end.

Mr Trump had promised to end the world's hottest conflicts during his election campaign but nearly five months into his second term, with Israel attacking Iran and bloodshed in Gaza and Ukraine unabated, those promises have not yet been met.

The Kremlin separately also confirmed the Trump-Putin call and said they discussed the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. REUTERS