President Donald Trump said the US strikes on Iran in late February and the naval blockade after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz 'changed the balance of power in the Middle East in favor of the US,' according to N12. He praised Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin for their role in reaching a deal, while sharply criticizing Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying Israeli strikes nearly caused the agreement to collapse and calling him 'a very difficult person.'
President Donald Trump offered a sweeping assessment of the US-Iran conflict's trajectory and singled out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for harsh criticism, according to a report broadcast on N12. Trump stated that the US strikes on Iran in late February and the naval blockade imposed after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz had changed the balance of power in the region to Washington's advantage. He credited Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin with helping bring about the current arrangement.
Trump then directed sharp criticism at Netanyahu, accusing him of nearly collapsing the agreement through Israeli strikes. The president described Netanyahu as 'a very difficult person' and said the Israeli premier should be 'very grateful' for US actions, adding that 'if Iran had nuclear weapons, Israel would not have lasted even two hours.' The remarks add a notable personal dimension to the public friction between the two leaders, as the Zioneer reported earlier in this thread.
The N12 report did not specify the context or forum in which Trump made the statements, and no direct quote or video clip from the president was provided in the broadcast. The remarks represent an escalation in Trump's public criticism of Netanyahu, whom he has previously described in mixed terms during the ongoing diplomatic and military standoff with Iran.
3 developments
- StrongTrump to NYT: Netanyahu should be grateful — strikes nearly scuttled Iran deal
- DevelopingTrump says Netanyahu is a 'very tough man'; Iran claims ceasefire includes Lebanon
- StrongTrump reportedly preparing to immediately lift naval blockade on Iran
- DevelopingReport: Trump demands immediate, non-phased reopening of Strait of Hormuz and end to naval blockade
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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