- US President Donald Trump has pushed back on Marco Rubio’s suggestion that Israel led the US into striking Iran.
- “If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand,” Trump said Tuesday as he took questions after a meeting with his German counterpart, Friedrich Merz.
- “We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first,” Trump said of Iran. “They were going to attack if we didn't do it.”
- He continued, “They were going to attack first, I felt strongly about that. We have great negotiators, great people, people who do this very successfully. And based on the way that the negotiations was going, I think that they were going to attack first. And I didn't want that to happen. So if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand. But Israel was ready and we were ready.”
- Trump also gave an effort on the US military operation against Iran, stating, “They have no navy, it's been knocked out. They have no air force, it's been knocked out. They have no air detection, it's been knocked out. Their radar's been knocked out. Just about everything's been knocked out.”
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