WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said the recent ceasefire agreement in Gaza was made possible only after what he described as the “complete destruction” of Iran’s nuclear program — a military operation he claimed eliminated the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
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Speaking in a phone interview with TIME from the White House on Oct. 15, Trump said the strikes against Iran had “removed the bully” from the region and paved the way for Arab states and Israel to back the deal. He also said Israel’s campaign in Gaza was halted after he urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop, warning that global sentiment had turned against Israel.
Trump credited the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani during his first term and a subsequent air campaign against Iranian nuclear sites for weakening Tehran’s regional influence. Independent assessments, however, suggest that only part of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was destroyed, with some facilities capable of resuming enrichment within months.
The president said Hamas had agreed to disarm under the ceasefire terms and warned that any violation would result in “complete obliteration.” He also said he had promised Arab leaders that Israel would not annex the West Bank, emphasizing that any such move would cost Israel U.S. support.
Asked about future regional developments, Trump predicted that Saudi Arabia would soon join the Abraham Accords, calling it “the next big step toward lasting peace.” He said his administration’s efforts had “reshaped the Middle East” and that the region was now “stronger, safer, and more united than ever.”
It is G-d’s guidance of the Israeli Air Force that made the Iran’s strike possible. The Israelis took all the risks and did all the hard work by destroying the Iranian radars and running hundreds of super complex bombing raids to wipe out all kinds of Iranian military infrastructure; then the fancy US bombers waltzed into the sky made clear by Israel, dropped a few super bombs, and Trump took all the credit. Meanwhile, probably in large part due to Trump’s pressure, Israel did not finish off the Iranian threat by leaving the ayatolas alive, and by not destroying the Iranian oil fields.