Israel, Iran may need to fight it out before reaching peace deal: Trump

By Alexis Shanes

 

President Donald Trump said he believed it’s possible Israel and Iran could reach an agreement to end their conflict, though the two sides may need to continue fighting before they’re ready to broker a peace deal. 

 

“Sometimes they have to fight it out, but we’re going to see what happens,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday as he departed for the Group of Seven leaders’ summit in Canada.

 

“I think there’s a good chance there’ll be a deal,” the president added.

 

Trump’s comments come as Israel signaled that it would not let up in its military campaign to destroy Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and with Iran stepping up its retaliation. The two nations have been exchanging attacks, with Israel on Sunday striking the capital Tehran. Iran, in turn, has launched several waves of drones and missiles. 

 

The conflict threatens to also open a new rift at the upcoming G-7 summit with leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron urging the sides to deescalate before the fight spurs a broader regional conflict. Leaders are meeting with tensions already high among the world’s largest economies over US tariffs and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran in the oil-rich region has roiled financial markets. Oil climbed early Monday, with Brent crude rising as much as 5.5% in early Asian trading.

 

The US has repeatedly stressed it’s not involved in Israel’s offensive operations, however whether the US might join in any military action against Iran remains a question, with experts saying Israel lacks the firepower to destroy a key Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow. 

 

Trump in an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday said it was “possible” the US could get involved in the conflict, even as he noted that the US is “not at this moment involved.” 

 

The president also vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Israeli officials said they had an opportunity to try and do so, according to a senior US official.

 

Trump’s comments Sunday were similar to remarks he made about his efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, which have been frustrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to halt the fighting or negotiate face-to-face with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

 

Trump earlier this month said that he was willing to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a little while,” using a sports metaphor to explain his idea. “You see it in hockey, you see it in sports, the referees let them go for a couple of seconds, let them go for a little while before you pull them apart,” he said.