Trump: Iran would have “wiped out Israel” without US intervention

US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, arguing that Tehran would have obtained a nuclear weapon and used it against Israel and other countries had he not terminated the agreement.

Speaking to 77 WABC Radio with Michael Cohen, Trump claimed that Iran would have “wiped out Israel” and potentially “wiped out the Middle East” if it had acquired a nuclear weapon.

Trump also pointed to Iran’s attacks on regional states, saying Tehran had targeted what he described as “sort of semi-neutral countries”, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. He argued that these attacks demonstrated the extent of Iran’s regional involvement.

“There would be no Israel if there was not a Donald Trump president,” Trump said, adding that he believed Saudi Arabia could also have been destroyed. He further claimed that the Middle East could have been “entirely wiped out”, while stressing that Israel “definitely would have been wiped out”.

Trump questioned how Iran had accumulated what he described as “1,000 pounds of 60% enriched uranium”, referring to the period before US military action against Iranian nuclear facilities. He attributed the situation to successive US administrations, asking how Tehran had been able to acquire such a stockpile “whether it was under Biden, whether it’s under Obama, whether it’s under every president”.

Referring to US military operations against Iran, Trump said the United States had used B-2 bombers and was “essentially controlling” the straits, while claiming that the US Navy, Air Force and Iranian leadership had been significantly affected.

“We're doing very well with Iran,” Trump said, while acknowledging that “the press doesn't like to say that” although some media outlets had reported on the situation.

Trump also said that the loss of senior Iranian officials had complicated the possibility of negotiations.

“Part of the problem is so many of the leaders are gone. It's not easy to make a deal. Nobody knows who's leading,” he said.

He nevertheless argued that the US campaign had prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, concluding: “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev