NEW YORK, Jun 16 (Alliance News): Amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, former U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis and urged both Middle Eastern rivals to strike a peace deal—similar to what he claimed to have achieved between Pakistan and India last month.
Using his Truth Social platform, Trump stated, “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks.”
He emphasized that “many meetings” were underway and hinted at possible mediation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump had a lengthy call on Saturday—his 79th birthday.
In an interview with ABC News, Trump revealed that Putin offered to help mediate between Iran and Israel. “He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it… This is something I believe is going to get resolved,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials told NBC News that Trump rejected an Israeli proposal to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to American sources cited by CBS and Reuters, Trump conveyed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that such a move was “not a good idea.”
The backdrop to this diplomatic push is Israel’s recent deadly strikes on Iran, which reportedly derailed scheduled talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Oman. Trump, however, remained optimistic, suggesting that the military escalation might hasten negotiations. “There’s no deadline. But they are talking. They’d like to make a deal. They continue to talk,” he added.
Trump reiterated his desire to achieve a new nuclear deal with Iran and noted previous interventions in other global disputes. “Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam… There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention,” he claimed.
While distancing the U.S. from Israel’s latest attack, Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran: “If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.”
In a hopeful tone, he concluded, “We can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict… MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”
