Washington (Web Desk/Agencies): President Donald Trump on Wednesday signaled that the United States could still join Israel in its military campaign against Iran, saying his patience with Tehran has already worn thin.
Speaking to reporters during a flag raising ceremony at the White House, Trump stated, “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this: Iran has got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate,” adding that developments in the coming days would be significant.
“The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week, maybe less. But is there anybody here that said it would be okay to have a hostile, very, you know, zealous, really -- but to have a hostile country have a nuclear weapon that could destroy 25 miles, but much more than that?” he continued. “This is just not a threat you can have.”
When asked whether there was still time to resume diplomatic talks with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, Trump responded, “Really nothing’s too late.”
His remarks came shortly after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stern warning about the consequences of any direct US involvement in the ongoing hostilities.
In a televised address, Khamenei declared that any American intervention would bring “irreparable consequences,” and he accused Israel of making a grave miscalculation.
“The Zionist entity (Israel) has made a grave mistake and will face consequences,” he said, further warning that Iran would not forget the breach of its airspace or the deaths of what he described as the country’s “martyrs.”
Trump’s comments were seen as a reaction to Iran's response to his renewed demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender, a position he reaffirmed during Wednesday’s event.
“Unconditional surrender, that means I’ve had it. Okay, I’ve had it. I give up. No more. Then we go blow up all the, you know, all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place. Now, they had bad intentions. You know, for 40 years, they’ve been saying, ‘Death to America, Death to Israel, death to anybody else that they didn’t like,’” Trump said.
When pressed for his reaction to Khamenei’s warning, Trump replied, “Good luck.”
The latest escalation comes after Israel launched a series of coordinated airstrikes last Friday targeting multiple Iranian military and nuclear facilities, leading Iran to retaliate with missile attacks. The conflict has already resulted in significant casualties.
According to Israeli authorities, at least 24 people have died and hundreds more have been injured due to Iran’s missile responses. In Iran, local media report that 585 individuals have been killed and over 1,300 have been wounded since the Israeli strikes began.
Trump revealed that he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to persist with the military offensive. “Keep going,” he said he told the Israeli leader.
However, Trump emphasized that he had not formally committed the US to any additional support beyond what has already been provided.