Trump Told Netanyahu Not To Attack Iran: WSJ
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that he wanted to let negotiations with Iran run their course before exercising military options, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday night.
On Thursday, Israel bombed Iran in several airstrikes, killing top military leaders and nuclear scientists, including Gen. Hossein Salami, who was the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Shortly after the news broke, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement distancing the administration from the action.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” he said before warning Iran not to strike U.S. targets in the region.
Israel’s bombings occurred right before Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to meet with Iranian officials in Oman on Sunday to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program. It is unclear at this moment whether those talks will move forward.
In a short scoop titled, “Trump Told Netanyahu on Monday Not to Attack Iran,” the Journal reported:
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the possibility of strikes in a phone conversation with President Trump, according to two U.S. officials. Trump responded that he would like to see diplomacy run its course before turning to military options.
On Wednesday, the U.S pulled some nonessential personnel out of the region in case of attacks. While no U.S. forces were removed, troops were on high alert, defense officials said. On Thursday, before the Israeli strike, Trump said he wouldn’t describe an attack as imminent, “but it is something that could very well happen.”
Israeli officials claimed Iran’s nuclear facilities had been targeted, as well as top military figures. However, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that several children were killed in strikes on residential buildings across Tehran.
