Amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, US President Donald Trump has cast a doubt on the possibility of a ceasefire between the two countries. He said on Saturday that it would be “very hard to stop” Israel’s strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a possible ceasefire.
When asked about Iran saying Trump could call on Israel to stop its strikes to further a ceasefire deal, Trump said, “I think it’s very hard to make that request right now.” While Trump did speak in favour of a ceasefire, he said Israel’s strikes on Iran could be “very hard to stop when you look at it.” “Israel’s doing well in terms of war. And, I think, you would say that Iran is doing less well. It’s a little bit hard to get somebody to stop,” Trump said.
His statement came after the White House said Trump saw a “substantial chance of negotiations” amid the conflict, as it said the US was seeking additional time to decide if its military would step in.
“If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing,” Trump said. “But we’re ready, willing and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens,” news agency AP quoted him as saying. Trump made the remarks after he called his own director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard “wrong” in saying that the US believed Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
Trump was asked about Gabbard’s remarks back in March suggesting the US spy agencies believed that Iran wasn’t working on nuclear warheads. The president said, “Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?” Informed that it had been Gabbard, Trump said, “She’s wrong.”
Trump has sought more time to decide whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility. The facility is buried under a mountain and is used to enrich uranium, possibly for making a bomb. Trump has also cast doubts on Iran’s developing nuclear capabilities for civilian pursuits, like power generation. Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, calling them “preemptive” and aimed at preventing Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
While Trump decides on whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war, he has said he would support a ceasefire, “depending on the circumstances”.
