Former President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that while the United States is currently not involved in Israel’s military operations against Iran, involvement could become a possibility. His comments came after reports indicated that Israel had urged the U.S. to support its efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
In an interview with ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Trump refrained from disclosing whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally appealed for increased U.S. involvement. “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” he affirmed.
During the interview, Trump also revealed he had a lengthy conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, predominantly discussing the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Trump expressed a willingness to consider Putin’s proposal to act as a mediator between Israel and Iran. “I would be open to it. [Putin] is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved,” Trump stated.
Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, was scheduled to travel to Oman on Sunday for further nuclear discussions with Iranian officials. However, following Israel’s recent strikes, Iran canceled the meeting. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi labeled the negotiations as “unjustifiable” in light of the attacks, which he claimed were conducted with U.S. support.
Trump indicated that he had previously set a “60-day ultimatum” for Iran to reach a deal but clarified to ABC News that no new timeline is in place. “No, there’s no deadline. But they are talking. They’d like to make a deal. They’re talking. They continue to talk,” he noted regarding the ongoing dialogues with Iran.
He added, “Something like this had to happen because I think even from both sides, but something like this had to happen. They want to talk, and they will be talking.”
In response to the strikes, Iran’s foreign minister addressed a gathering of ambassadors in Tehran, suggesting that the attacks could not have occurred “without the agreement and support of the United States” and asserted that Iranian officials do not accept the U.S. claim of non-involvement.
Despite the setback in negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Trump expressed optimism that recent developments could expedite a resolution. “May have forced a deal to go quicker, actually,” he commented.