President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone any military action against Iran, citing ongoing efforts by the United States to secure a new nuclear agreement with Tehran. "I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House. Reports that Netanyahu was threatening to launch a strike on Iran's nuclear sites, even if the U.S. secured a diplomatic agreement with Tehran, have sparked fears that it could derail America's ongoing nuclear negotiations. The Trump administration has issued firm warnings to Israel not to disrupt the ongoing talks with Tehran. Still, concerns have been growing that Netanyahu, who views any deal that allows Iran to keep its enrichment capabilities as unacceptable, may proceed with a strike.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week not to take actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran. "I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution now," Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office. "That could change at any moment." Israel earlier rejected a report in the New York Times that Netanyahu has been threatening to disrupt talks on a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran by striking Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities.
President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week not to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities to allow additional time for talks between Washington and Tehran. “I’d like to be honest. Yes, I did,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I said I don’t think it’s appropriate. We’re talking, we’re having very good discussions with them. And I said I don’t think it’s appropriate right now… if we can settle it with a very strong document,” the president added. “I told [Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution. Now, that could change at any moment. It could change with a phone call, but right now, I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, it could save a lot of lives.”
