President Donald Trump believes that a peace agreement between Israel and Iran is possible, but two sides may need to ‘fight it out’ before they are ready to reach a peace deal. Trump’s comments come as Israel made it clear it won’t stop its military efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, while Iran has started hitting back more strongly.
The two nations have been exchanging attacks, with Israel on Sunday striking the capital Tehran. Iran, in turn, has launched several waves of drones and missiles.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday,“Sometimes they have to fight it out, but we’re going to see what happens,”
“I think there’s a good chance there’ll be a deal,” the president added.
The conflict threatens to also open a new rift at the upcoming G-7 summit with leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron urging the sides to deescalate before the fight spurs a broader regional conflict. Leaders are meeting with tensions already high among the world’s largest economies over US tariffs and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran in the oil-rich region has roiled financial markets. Oil climbed early Monday, with Brent crude rising as much as 5.5% in early Asian trading.
The US has repeatedly stressed it’s not involved in Israel’s offensive operations, however whether the US might join in any military action against Iran remains a question, with experts saying Israel lacks the firepower to destroy a key Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow.
Trump in an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday said it was “possible” the US could get involved in the conflict, even as he noted that the US is “not at this moment involved.”
The president also vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Israeli officials said they had an opportunity to try and do so, according to a senior US official.
Trump’s comments Sunday were similar to remarks he made about his efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, which have been frustrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to halt the fighting or negotiate face-to-face with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Trump earlier this month said that he was willing to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a little while,” using a sports metaphor to explain his idea. “You see it in hockey, you see it in sports, the referees let them go for a couple of seconds, let them go for a little while before you pull them apart,” he said.