US president insists Tehran aggression imminent, says decisive action stopped wider regional catastrophe.
US President Donald Trump forcefully rejected accusations that Israel pressured Washington into war with Iran — suggesting instead that the opposite may be true.
Asked by a reporter whether Israel had “forced” his hand, Trump replied bluntly: “I might have forced their hand.”
Referring to negotiations with Iran’s ruling clerics, Trump said the United States had been engaged in talks with what he described as “lunatics,” warning that he believed an Iranian strike was imminent.
“It was my opinion that they were going to attack first. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack,” he said, adding that the tone and direction of negotiations signaled an approaching escalation.
Trump later clarified that he believed Iran was preparing attacks not only against Israel but also against other Middle Eastern nations. “If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand, but Israel was ready and we were ready,” he stated.
The president asserted that military operations are progressing successfully, claiming that “virtually everything they have is being knocked out now.” He further accused Iran of striking neutral countries and targeting civilian infrastructure, including hotels and apartment buildings.
According to Trump, such actions “show the level of evil that we’re dealing with,” arguing that Tehran’s aggression has driven previously neutral states to oppose the regime.
When asked about the worst-case scenario for Iran’s future, Trump responded that it would be the emergence of a successor as extreme as Ali Khamenei.
The remarks underscore Washington’s alignment with Israel amid intensifying confrontation, as both governments maintain that preemptive action was necessary to prevent a broader regional assault.
