United States President Donald Trump has denied being dragged into war with Iran by Israel as he faces increasing criticism over the conflict, including from segments of his own base.
“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday.
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There is no public evidence linking Iran directly to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel. Trump’s own intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, also testified to Congress in March that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.
Over the eight months before the war on Iran, Trump had been saying repeatedly that the US air strikes on the country in June had “obliterated” its nuclear programme.
Many of Trump’s critics have argued that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the US and the war only advances the interests of Israel at the expense of the safety and prosperity of Americans.
Iran responded to the initial US-Israeli strikes of the war – which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, other top officials and hundreds of civilians on February 28 – by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices soaring.
In the US, energy costs have skyrocketed, fuelling inflation. The price of 1 gallon (3.8 litres) of petrol has remained more than $4, up from less than $3 before the war, more than a week after a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran came into effect.
A recent poll by NBC News suggested that two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war.
With dissatisfaction growing, many of the president’s critics have pointed to Israel as the real power behind the war, portraying Trump as a weak leader following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“He entered a war – got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu. Let’s be clear about that – entered a war that the American people do not want,” Kamala Harris, Trump’s 2024 Democratic opponent, said last week.
Harris served as vice president in President Joe Biden’s administration, which provided diplomatic and military support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza for 15 months.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump presented himself as the “peace” candidate, promising to end wars that were started under previous administrations.
Trump’s National Security Strategy, released last year, also said Washington would pivot its foreign policy and military resources from the Middle East to the Western Hemisphere.
But Netanyahu, who has visited Trump in the US six times in one year, has continued to push for a hard line against Iran. The most vocal supporters of the war in Washington have also been Israel’s closest allies.
On Monday, Trump renewed his attacks on the mainstream media for its coverage of the war with Iran.
“I watch and read the FAKE NEWS Pundits and Polls in total disbelief. 90% of what they say are lies and made-up stories, and the polls are rigged, much as the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged,” the US president wrote, referring to the election he lost to Biden.
He also touted his policies in Venezuela, where the country has remained stable and become more friendly to Washington since US forces abducted President Nicolas Maduro in January.
In Iran, however, the US-Israeli strikes led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and sustained Iranian attacks across the Gulf for nearly six weeks.
The conflict is now paused, and further talks between US and Iranian officials could take place in Pakistan this week. But both sides have threatened to renew the fighting if a deal is not reached. The two-week ceasefire is due to expire on Wednesday.
“Just like the results in Venezuela, which the media doesn’t like talking about, the results in Iran will be amazing – And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” Trump posted.