Trump: Nuclear Iran would wipe Israel off the map

Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump said Friday that if Iran had acquired nuclear weapons, Israel would have been “wiped off the map,” defending recent military action against Tehran while saying he had preferred reaching a diplomatic deal.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said the United States had carried out operations against Iran after years of “hostile actions.”

“We had to do something,” he said, adding that US strikes destroyed large numbers of missiles that could have been launched against American forces and allies.

Trump said he would have “preferred negotiating an agreement with Tehran” but insisted that Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

He also warned that if Iran possessed such weapons, it could use them not only against Israel but against other countries in the region.

His remarks come even though the United States and Iran had been engaged in indirect negotiations mediated by Oman shortly before the conflict erupted. US officials described those talks as constructive and said they had made progress toward a potential framework, though no final agreement had been reached before Washington and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets.