In a position that reflects a delicate balance between threatening a military solution and maintaining the negotiation path, US President Donald Trump affirmed that his country “will win the war against Iran soon, one way or another,” noting at the same time that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take any step that might harm the ongoing negotiations with Tehran.
Trump said, in an interview with ABC, that the recent attack on Iran “was not necessary,” but he added that he understood Israel’s motives, in reference to the recent military escalation between the two sides.
The US President explained that he told Netanyahu not to do anything that would harm the negotiations with Iran, at a time when Washington is working to keep the diplomatic track open despite the high level of confrontation.
Trump’s statements come at a very sensitive regional moment, after the exchange of strikes between Iran and Israel, and mounting fears that any additional military move would undermine the chances of reaching a new agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Trump’s positions also reflect an attempt to combine military and political pressure on Iran, with preventing Israel from expanding the circle of confrontation in a way that confuses American efforts to produce a settlement or understanding in the Iranian file.
For weeks, the region has witnessed a gradual escalation on more than one front, from the Gulf to Lebanon, while Washington seeks to control the pace of the confrontation and prevent it from getting out of control, in parallel with the continuation of negotiations, which are seen as a basic path to reduce tension and prevent the region from sliding into a broader war.
