The president is mulling over the possibility of throwing the United States into war with Iran.
Speaking with ABC News Sunday, Donald Trump refused to answer whether the U.S. would wade into the conflict. He said that American forces were not currently involved in the conflict but that they “could get involved.” Trump also mentioned that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli officials about the boiling situation.
“We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved,” Trump said. “But we are not at this moment involved.”
Israel and Iran traded missiles for the third straight day Sunday in an escalating conflict that has so far killed 224 people in Iran and 14 people in Israel. Some of the Iranian casualties were military targets: Two regional sources told Reuters that 20 senior commanders had been killed, as well as six of the country’s top nuclear scientists.
On Thursday, Iranian officials announced their intentions to expand their nuclear program, despite facing censure from a U.N. nuclear watchdog for failing to uphold nonproliferation obligations. Iran has argued that it is seeking uranium for peaceful purposes. But the nation walked back plans of a weekend discussion to negotiate their nuclear program in the wake of Israel’s attack.
Speaking with ABC, Trump downplayed concerns that the nuclear talks—which were in the sixth round—had collapsed.
“There’s no deadline,” Trump said. “But they are talking. They’d like to make a deal. They continue to talk.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked Trump to consider a strike on Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility. Israeli missiles hit Iran’s Natanz fuel enrichment plant site Friday, but satellite imagery indicates only minor damage at the Fordo facility.
As the two Middle Eastern nations traded missiles late last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the U.S. was “not involved in strikes against Iran.” But that information was immediately contradicted by Israeli and senior U.S. officials, who all confirmed America’s involvement in the emerging conflict.
But why the U.S. is embedded in a new global conflict is unclear. Trump earned national support in part due to his isolationist campaign promises and his pledge to swiftly end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Six months into his second term, he has not only failed to do either but has seemingly embroiled the U.S. in a dire situation in the Middle East.
In a phone call with ABC News’s Jonathan Karl Friday morning, the president referred to the Israeli attacks as “excellent,” remarking that Iran “got hit hard, very hard,” and that there was “a lot more” to come.
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