Trump: I Don't Want to End Up in a Catastrophe Regarding Iran

On Tuesday, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, after a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated in a joint press conference that he does not want the situation regarding Iran to end in a catastrophe. In response to a journalist's question about how to deal with the Iranian government, Trump emphasized that he is not pleased with the return of the 'maximum pressure' policy on the Islamic Republic, but he hopes to reach a 'great deal.' He reiterated that during his first term (December 2016 to December 2020), the Islamic Republic of Iran was bankrupt and had no money to spend on terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah in the region. Trump noted that he has many American friends from Iran who take pride in this, stating they are wonderful people, and 'I truly want a deal and peace, and I don't want it to end in a catastrophe.' The U.S. President again stressed that the Islamic Republic must never acquire nuclear weapons. Before his closed-door conversation with Netanyahu, in response to a journalist's question about a potential Israeli attack on Iranian positions, he said, 'Let's see what happens.' Netanyahu, in the press conference, referred to Trump as 'the greatest friend' Israel has ever had in the White House. He also mentioned that the Islamic Republic has called for the killing of both him and Trump. Netanyahu recalled the threats from Iranian proxy groups, including their leaders like Yahya Sinwar and Hassan Nasrallah, and the support of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for Hamas's October 7 attack, stating that Israel has severely weakened all these groups and even rendered air defense systems in Iran ineffective. He further asserted that Israel has never been stronger than today and that the 'axis of terror' of the Islamic Republic has never been weaker. Netanyahu stated that the leaders of Israel and the U.S. agree on the need to remain committed to pushing back the Islamic Republic in the region and preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons.