Trump's comments come as Israel signaled that it would not let up in its military campaign to destroy Tehran's nuclear capabilities and with Iran stepping up its retaliation

Trump proposed a U.S.-brokered trade deal as a path to peace between Israel and Iran, despite rising violence, a canceled round of nuclear talks, and no sign either side is willing to negotiate.

Despite evidence that the conflict between Israel and Iran is escalating, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Sunday that peace would come soon and cited the possibility that Russia's Vladimir Putin could help.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed the escalating crisis between Israel and Iran in a roughly hour-long phone call on Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called President Donald Trump to wish him a happy birthday and speak about the escalating conflict in the Middle East on Saturday. Putin spoke with Trump about the Russian president’s conversations with the leaders of Iran and Israel as tensions heat up.