President Donald Trump spent the bulk of this week saying he hoped Israel wouldn’t strike Iran.
“He didn’t want them to go now,” a senior administration official said about Israel.
The constant, however, was Trump’s desire to bring Iran back to the table even as the Islamic Republic vowed retribution.
Or they moved toward a light green.” The senior Trump administration official insisted that while Washington had been informed of Israel’s plans ahead of time, the United States had no role in helping plan the attack.
It might not work out.” The “too tough” negotiations came as an influential group of hawkish conservatives lobbied Trump furiously to bless the Israeli government’s efforts to destroy Iranian nuclear sites.
This week, President Donald Trump largely expressed his hope that Israel would not attack Iran. He was all in by Friday, though.
Having hoped for more time to negotiate with Tehran over its nuclear program, Trump embraced the new dynamic after Israel launched the massive attack and used it as leverage to try to close the deal he had always desired.
He didn’t want them to leave Israel right away, according to a senior administration official. The official, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss a delicate matter, continued, “He knows they are a sovereign country and he will support them because they are our ally, but he wanted more time.”. “.”.
The change in the administration’s tone in the first 24 hours following the attack highlights the delicate balancing act the president is doing to appease different administration factions while continuing to apply pressure on Iran.
The message was intended to reassure Israel that the United States was on its side, appeal to the Trump coalition’s hawkish elements, and attempt to reassure the anxious MAGA isolationists who have long been leery of Middle East involvement.
Trump’s determination to reengage Iran despite the Islamic Republic’s threats of retaliation, however, remained constant.
According to Trump’s first public statements following the Israeli attack, “there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” he wrote on Truth Social. Iran needs to reach an agreement before everything is lost. “”.
The senior administration official claimed that Trump’s offer to Iran was a “direct push to Israel” to apply the brakes. But by Friday afternoon, when Iran was launching hundreds or even thousands of rockets at Israel, the administration made it clear that it was prepared to defend Israel. This was a significant change from the largely indifferent statement Secretary of State Marco Rubio made right after Israel’s attack.
Rubio said in a statement Thursday night that Israel had taken unilateral action against Iran. “The safety of American forces in the area is our first priority, and we are not engaged in strikes against Iran. Israel informed us that they felt this action was essential for their own protection. “.”.
However, Trump was phoning reporters by Friday morning to make it apparent that he was aware of Israel’s plans beforehand. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he called the attack a “very successful attack.”.
“We yellow-lighted it” was the initial administration messaging, according to Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative magazine. They said we gave it our blessing today. Or they went in the direction of a light green. “.”.
Although Washington was aware of Israel’s plans in advance, the senior Trump administration official maintained that the US was not involved in the attack’s planning.
The source, who was given anonymity to talk about private discussions within the administration, claimed, “We didn’t help plan and they didn’t give us every detail.”.
“We deliberately didn’t want to know the specifics,” they stated, adding that the US had the opportunity to join the action against Iran but chose not to.
Despite his desire for more time to negotiate, Trump seemed irritated that the process had stalled, indicating early this week that Iran’s time was running out.
He said at the White House on Monday, “They are tough, but they are good negotiators.”. “The issue is that they can be too tough at times. Therefore, we are attempting to reach an agreement to prevent death and destruction. That’s what we told them. I’ve informed them of that. I hope it turns out that way. Perhaps it won’t work. “.”.
As a powerful coalition of hawkish conservatives frantically urged Trump to approve the Israeli government’s plans to destroy Iranian nuclear sites, the “too tough” negotiations took place.
Israel’s attack also revealed a divide within Trumpworld between isolationists who are cautious of Middle East involvements influenced by the protracted and expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and hawks who view Iran as an existential threat to Israel.
The former Pentagon official, who was given anonymity to discuss the internal dynamics of the president’s foreign policy team, stated, “If this turns into a larger war and it will lead to some fractures, a lot of people in the MAGA movement, and ones that have really invested a lot in electing Trump and [Vice President JD] Vance, will be incredibly disappointed.”.
