Trump denied claims that Israel effectively forced the United States (US) into engaging in war with Iran by launching a preliminary strike on Tehran’s government, which could have resulted in retaliatory actions against America.
When questioned at the White House about whether Israel compelled him to initiate the strikes, Trump responded, “No, I might’ve compelled their hand.”
US launches preemptive strikes on Iran
The previous day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “We were aware that an Israeli operation was imminent. We understood that this would trigger an assault on American forces, and we recognised that if we did not take preemptive action against them before they executed those attacks, we would incur greater casualties.”
These comments attracted significant scrutiny and backlash, even from some conservative supporters who typically align with Trump.
Trump commented on the US Israel war with Iran on Tuesday, “We were engaged in negotiations with these extremists, and I believed that they were poised to strike first.”
“They were going to attack. If we did not act, they would have attacked first. I was quite certain of that.”, he added.
“And considering the trajectory of the negotiations, I believed they were going to strike first, and I wanted to prevent that from occurring,” Trump continued.
“Therefore, if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand.”
US Israeli war with Iran enters fourth day
The United States and Israel have been conducting attacks on Iran for the fourth consecutive day, while Tehran continues to launch retaliatory strikes against the allies of Washington and US military bases throughout the Gulf.
Donald Trump has indicated that these attacks are likely to persist for four to five weeks, although they could extend “far longer,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cautioned that the “most severe impacts are still to come.”
Trump further stated, “this is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with,” as he reiterated his dissatisfaction with Starmer’s “lack of cooperation” regarding the conflict in Iran.
In comments that may raise concerns among critics regarding the US’s post-war strategy for Iran, the US president also remarked that the “worst case” scenario in the nation is that “someone takes control as dangerous as the previous regime.”
Read more: Trump claims Iran navy and air force destroyed with the help of Germany
