The Huffington Post
Donald Trump with Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago last December. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defied Donald Trump to launch retaliatory air strikes on Iran . The US president had claimed “I call the shots” just hours before the Israeli action. Israel’s military said it carried out strikes on military targets in central and western Iran early on Monday morning. Netanyahu’s decision is a major blow to Trump’s hopes of striking a peace deal with Iran to end the war which began on February 28. Tehran launched missiles on northern Israel on Sunday, which Trump told Fox News was “certainly not going to help negotiations”. The president said: “What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough, get back to the table and make a deal.” Trump also said he was “not happy” about strikes in recent days by Israel on Lebanon. In an interview with the Financial Times, the president said Netanyahu “won’t have any choice” but to agree to any peace deal he strikes with Iran. “I call all the shots – he doesn’t call the shots,” he said. Nevertheless, it appears as though Netanyahu ignored Trump’s call for Israel not to strike Iran. The Associated Press quoted a US official who said the president had “got [Netanyahu] to hold off for the time being”. The US president told Israel’s Channel 12 news he did not want to see “an additional attack tonight”. “The Iranian strikes didn’t hurt anybody,” Trump said. “Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one.” It is understood that Iran launched its own fresh strikes on Israel on Monday morning, threatening a further escalation in the latest Middle East conflict. Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... 'I've Had Enough': Trump Storms Out Of TV Interview In Total Meltdown 'You're F*****g Crazy': Trump Slams Netanyahu Over Israeli Bombing Of Lebanon BBC Reporter Says Trump's Decision To Go To War In Iran Is 'Coming Back To Haunt Him'
Go to News Site
