President Donald Trump told Time magazine in an interview published Friday that he will “very willingly” lead the U.S. into attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities if the regime does not make a deal to stop its program.
Trump was, as usual, bullish about the prospects of making a deal and avoiding war, especially given the economic pressure he has restored on the regime. He added that he had not stopped Israel from attacking Iran on its own, but had not made it “comfortable” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make that choice. Asked if Netanyahu would “drag” the U.S. into war, Trump said the U.S. would lead the effort:
I think that we’re going to make a deal with Iran. I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran. Nobody else could do that.
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I didn’t stop [Israel]. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, because I think we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can. It’s possible we’ll have to attack because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, but I didn’t say no. Ultimately I was going to leave that choice to [Israel], but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped.
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You asked if [Netanyahu]’d drag me in, like I’d go in unwillingly. No, I may go in very willingly if we can’t get a deal. If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack.
Israel is said to fear that the Trump administration may sign a “bad” deal in the president’s rush to produce a diplomatic achievement. But Iran is refusing the administration’s public demands, such as ending its nuclear enrichment program, meaning that the regime may soon leave Trump with no choice but to launch an attack.
Israel has destroyed Iran’s air defenses, following two massive ballistic missile attacks by Iran last year, which were largely intercepted by Israel’s missile shield, with the help of the U.S. and even Arab allies in the region.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
