WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off striking Iran, saying it would be “inappropriate” amid talks on a nuclear deal.
“Well, I’d like to be honest, yes I did,” Trump said when asked if he had told Netanyahu in a call last week not to take any action that could disrupt Washington’s talks with Tehran.
Pressed on what he told the Israeli premier, Trump replied: “I just said I don’t think it’s appropriate, we’re having very good discussions with them.”
He added: “I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution.
“I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, save a lot of lives.”
Netanyahu insists Israel will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons: office
Tehran and Washington have in recent weeks held five rounds of talks focused on the issue – their highest-level contact since the US in 2018 withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during Trump’s first term.
Iran said earlier Wednesday it may consider allowing US inspectors with the United Nations nuclear watchdog to inspect its facilities if a deal is reached with the United States.
But Israel has repeatedly threatened military action against arch-enemy Iran and US media reports last week said Israel was making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear sites despite the ongoing US-Iran talks.
Trump has not ruled out military action but said he wants space to make a deal first – and has also said that Israel, and not the United States – would take the lead in any such strikes.
Iran has long been accused by Western powers of seeking to develop nuclear weapons – a claim Tehran has consistently denied, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful, civilian purposes.
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