President Donald Trump said the timing of a potential end to the Iran war will be determined through joint discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as military operations continue.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said the decision on when the ongoing war with Iran will conclude will be determined in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing the process as a joint determination between the two leaders.
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Trump said Washington and Jerusalem have remained in frequent contact throughout the conflict and will continue consulting each other as military operations progress.
“I think it’s mutual … a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,” Trump said when asked whether the United States alone would determine when the war ends.
The president indicated that Netanyahu will play a role in the decision-making process, though he suggested the final determination will ultimately rest with him.
Trump also credited the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign with stopping what he described as a broader threat posed by Iran.
“Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it,” Trump said. “We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel.”
The conflict began on Feb. 28 when U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalating tensions that had been building for years between Iran and the Western-backed alliance.
Since that initial strike, the United States and Israel have conducted a series of military operations targeting Iranian missile systems, military facilities and infrastructure connected to the country’s nuclear program.
When asked whether Israel might continue military operations even if the United States eventually withdraws from the conflict, Trump said he did not believe that situation would arise.
“I don’t think it’s going to be necessary,” the president said.
The White House has not provided a firm timeline for the duration of the conflict. However, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that the administration currently expects the campaign could last approximately four to six weeks depending on battlefield developments.
Trump’s comments came shortly after Iranian state media reported that the country’s Assembly of Experts had selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain supreme leader, as Iran’s new leader.
Earlier the same day, Trump warned that any future Iranian leadership would face consequences if it challenged the United States.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News, the president said the individual assuming the leadership position in Iran would need recognition from Washington in order to maintain power.
Asked specifically about the reported selection of Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump declined to discuss details of the leadership transition.
“We’ll see what happens,” the president told The Times of Israel.
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