Trump talks ‘war and peace’ about the Israel-Iran war

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday made conflict statements about the ongoing Iran-Israel war, as he mentioned the possibility of the United States getting involved in the war and also boasted that the two nations would soon reach a peace deal.

“Iran and Israel will have peace “soon”, US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Sunday, adding that there were many unspecified meetings happening and that the two countries should make a deal.

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, killing scores.

“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that “we will have PEACE, soon”.

US JUMPING INTO THE WAR

However, Trump separately told ABC News that that “it’s possible we could get involved” in the ongoing conflict between the two countries.  

At the same time, he reiterated in an interview that the US is “not at this moment” involved in the conflict.

‘MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN’

Trump did not offer any details about the meetings or evidence of progress toward peace. His assertion contradicted comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Saturday that Israel’s campaign against Iran would intensify.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how Trump and the White House were working to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.

Trump, who portrays himself as a peacemaker and has drawn criticism from his political base for not being able to prevent the Israel-Iran conflict, cited other disputes that he took responsibility for solving, including between India and Pakistan, and lamented not getting more praise for doing so.

“I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.

READY FOR RUSSIAN MEDIATION

On the other hand, Trump also said that he would be open to Russian President Vladimir Putin being a mediator in the conflict.

“He (Putin) is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,” Trump told the TV channel.

The latest conflicting statements as Iran launched another missile attack to target several cities in Israel on Sunday evening.

Sunday also saw President Masoud Pezeshkian saying that Iran’s responses to Israeli attacks will be “more decisive and severe” if Israel’s hostile actions continue.

At the same time, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday that Iran has asked Cyprus to convey “some messages” to Israel, , as the east Mediterranean island appealed for restraint in a rapidly escalating crisis in the Middle East.