Former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed early Monday that had Iran obtained nuclear weapons, Israel would not have survived two hours. The remarks, reported by an Israeli outlet, continue a pattern of high-profile criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu.
A new statement from Donald Trump, reported around 02:53 Monday morning by an Israeli media outlet, has the former president boasting that Israel owes its survival solely to American action against Iran's nuclear program — and would have been destroyed within two hours if Tehran had obtained the bomb. Trump, who has a long record of mixed praise and criticism of Netanyahu, reportedly framed the remark as a boast about his own administration's policy, rather than as a direct threat.
Earlier tonight, The Zioneer reported two nearly identical statements from Trump around 02:43 and 02:47 Monday — both carrying the same core claim about a nuclear-armed Iran. Tonight's message appears to be a slightly reworded version of the same talking point, possibly from a different interview or social media post. The repetition suggests Trump is actively reinforcing the message amid ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations and the broader pressure campaign.
Trump's broader public posture toward Iran has been confrontational in recent days: he has repeatedly threatened 'hard daily strikes' if no nuclear deal is reached, accused Tehran of stalling, and warned that Iran would bear blame for any escalation. The remark about Israel's vulnerability fits within that pressure campaign but also serves as a pointed personal critique of Netanyahu, whom Trump has previously called a 'big disappointment' — as The Zioneer reported earlier tonight.
It remains unclear whether this statement is a new, separate public appearance or a re-publication of the earlier comments. No response from the Prime Minister's Office has been reported as of this hour.
- StrongTrump to NYT: Netanyahu should be grateful — strikes nearly scuttled Iran deal
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- ConfirmedTrump tells Netanyahu US and Iran days from nuclear deal breakthrough, NYT reports
- DevelopingNetanyahu: As long as I'm PM, Iran will not get nuclear weapons
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