U.S. President Donald Trump said the decision on when the ongoing war with Iran will end will be taken through discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump made the remarks during a brief telephone interview on Sunday (March 8), according to a report by the The Times of Israel.
He said the decision to end the conflict would depend on a joint assessment by both leaders. Trump added that he and Netanyahu are in regular contact and will decide based on the evolving situation.
In the interview, Trump claimed that Iran would have destroyed Israel if he and Netanyahu had not taken firm action.
“Iran wanted to destroy Israel and everything around it,” Trump said. “We worked together and stopped a country that wanted to wipe Israel off the map.”
Trump’s remarks highlight the close strategic cooperation between the United States and Israel during the current conflict. He said their joint actions have significantly weakened Iran’s capabilities.
When asked whether the decision to end the war would be made solely by him or jointly with Netanyahu, Trump said it would likely be a shared decision.
“We are discussing it,” he said. “A decision will be taken after considering all realities.”
Trump declined to comment on whether Israel could continue the war alone if the United States withdrew from the conflict. However, he said he does not expect such a situation to arise.
Analysts say Trump’s comments reflect Washington’s strong influence over Israel in the ongoing Middle East crisis, as well as his political alignment with Netanyahu.
Global attention is now focused on how the conflict may end and what impact it could have on the future political balance in the Middle East.
