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In an interview with The Time, US President Donald Trump spoke about his role in deterring Israel from launching a military strike against Iran. According to him, he did not forbid Israel to strike, but stressed that a diplomatic solution would be preferable.
“I did not stop them. But it would have been difficult for the Israelis, because I believe we can reach an agreement without an attack. I hope we will succeed. We may have to strike to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. They may have been uncomfortable with it, but I didn’t say no either. Ultimately, I was going to give them a choice, but I said I preferred a deal to falling bombs,” Trump stressed.
Commenting on the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said that he could launch military action, but the United States would not be drawn into the conflict. At the same time, he expressed his readiness to intervene if the parties fail to reach an agreement and to take the lead in case of a breakdown in negotiations.
Earlier, The New York Times reported that Israel had allegedly abandoned its plan to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Commenting on this information during a briefing in the Oval Office with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Trump reiterated his commitment to a diplomatic settlement.
In addition, the US President suggested the possibility of a joint US-Israeli military strike against Iran in case of failure of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. However, he stressed that US decisions are made solely in the interests of the country and do not depend on external influence.
