'We knew everything,' Trump says about Israel's strikes on Iran
By
Steve Holland
, Reuters
US President Donald Trump says he knew Israel planned to attack Iran, and had pressed Iran to make a deal over its nuclear programme (file photo).
Photo:
AFP / Andrew Caballero-Reynolds
After months of urging Israel not to strike Iran while he worked toward a nuclear deal, President Donald Trump told Reuters in a phone interview on Friday that he and his team had known the attacks were coming - and still saw room for an accord.
"We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out," Trump said.
"They can still work out a deal, however, it's not too late," he added.
Trump had repeatedly pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay an Israeli attack to give diplomacy more time, though the president himself had threatened to bomb the Gulf nation if nuclear talks failed.
Trump's shifting stance around the Israeli strikes, which he called "excellent" and "very successful" in a series of media interviews on Friday, offered one of the most striking examples yet of how he conducts high-stakes negotiations through both frank public rhetoric and behind-the-scenes manoeuvres.
The US president offered support for Israel's decision to launch a series of devastating raids in Iran, showing a willingness to embrace the use of military force to set back Tehran's nuclear program. In contrast, some allies stressed the need for restraint.
Asked if the US would support Israel against Iranian counterattacks, Trump said he supported Israel. He said he was not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel's strikes but did not elaborate.
We've been very close to Israel. We're their number one ally by far," Trump told Reuters, adding, "We'll see what happens."
Later on Friday, two US officials said the US military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed toward Israel.
Still uncertain is whether Trump's attempt to reach an agreement with Iran to halt uranium enrichment is still viable, with a sixth round of talks still scheduled for Sunday in Oman but now in doubt after the attacks.
In negotiations with Iran, Trump sought to persuade the Iranians to give up uranium enrichment and was awaiting a counter-proposal from Iran. Tehran had balked at giving up enrichment, seemingly leaving little room for an agreement.
"They seek enrichment. We can't have enrichment," Trump told reporters on Monday.
As the week wore on, Trump sounded increasingly resigned to the prospect that Israel would strike and hinted that he knew more than he was willing to talk about publicly.
"I don't want to say it's imminent, but it looks like something that could very well happen. Look, it's very simple, not complicated. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Other than that, I want them to be successful," he told reporters on Thursday before the raids began.
Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Trump said he had given the Iranians 60 days to come to an agreement and that the time had expired with no deal.
"We knew just about everything," he said. "We knew enough that we gave Iran 60 days to make a deal and today is 61, right? So, you know, we knew everything.
Trump said it was unclear if Iran still has a nuclear program following Israeli strikes on the country.
"Nobody knows. It was a very devastating hit," Trump said.
Israel said it had targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
Trump said the US still has nuclear talks planned with Iran on Sunday but he was unsure they would take place. US special envoy Steve Witkoff was scheduled to meet an Iranian delegation in Oman.
"They're not dead," Trump said of the US-Iran talks. "We have a meeting with them on Sunday. Now, I'm not sure if that meeting will take place, but we have a meeting with them on Sunday."
The president had convened his top national security advisers at Camp David on Sunday night for what he said were discussions that included Iran, and he spoke to Netanyahu on Monday about Iran.
A White House official said Trump spoke with Netanyahu again on Friday. Trump also held talks about the attacks with his National Security Council in the White House Situation Room. No details of the discussions were immediately available.
-
Reuters
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