Trump: "No one convinced me not to attack Iran, I convinced myself"
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Trump says no one convinced him not to strike Iran; he made the decision himself.
- 'Israeli' and Arab leaders reportedly urged the U.S. to avoid military action.
US President Donald Trump said he was not persuaded by anyone to refrain from striking Iran, asserting that he made the decision himself.
Trump made the comment in response to a question about whether Arab or 'Israeli' officials had convinced him not to carry out a strike.
The remarks come after The New York Times reported, citing a US official, that 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Trump to delay a potential strike on Iran, even as the Iranian government faced public protests.
Read more: Trump says has been notified killings in Iran have “stopped”
Netanyahu spoke with Trump on Wednesday, the same day Trump said he received information from "very important sources on the other side" that Iran had stopped killing protesters and would not proceed with executions. This was interpreted as a signal that Trump was stepping back from a possible US military attack on Iran, which he had been weighing for several days.
A Gulf Arab official told the newspaper that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Egypt, all US partners, also requested that the Trump administration avoid attacking Iran. Senior officials from these countries reportedly contacted US counterparts over the past two days, warning that any military strike could trigger a wider regional conflict.
Read more: NBC: Trump may authorize limited military strike on Iran
The same official noted that these Arab countries communicated with Iranian authorities, assuring them that they would not be targeted if the United States chose to strike. According to two regional diplomats, the four Arab states coordinated their messages to both Washington and Tehran.
