According ot the New York Times, Israel had a plan to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Trump rejected the idea. Everyone agrees Iran can’t have the bomb, but there is no consensus on the way to go about it. Iran expressed a willingness to negotiate, and President Trump prefers that approach.
The story is by unreliable reporters, including Eric Schmitt and Maggie Haberman. They wrote:
Israel had planned to strike Iranian nuclear sites as soon as next month but was waved off by President Trump in recent weeks in favor of negotiating a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program, according to administration officials and others briefed on the discussions.
Mr. Trump made his decision after months of internal debate over whether to pursue diplomacy or support Israel in seeking to set back Iran’s ability to build a bomb, at a time when Iran has been weakened militarily and economically.
The debate highlighted fault lines between historically hawkish American cabinet officials and other aides more skeptical that a military assault on Iran could destroy the country’s nuclear ambitions and avoid a larger war. It resulted in a rough consensus, for now, against military action, with Iran signaling a willingness to negotiate.
It’s challenging to determine the accuracy of information from the Times, but if it is true, avoiding war is always preferable.
The Times said that almost all of the plans required US assistance. The article continues:
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Trump took issue with the idea he had “waved off” Israel but acknowledged that negotiating with the Iranians was his preferred course of action. He added that he was not “in a rush” to support military action against Iran, but reiterated that he did not want Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.
“I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death,” Mr. Trump said. “That’s my first option. If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk.”
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle:
The report — sourced through interviews with U.S. officials — signals that the talks are more of a setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than he let on when he visited the White House earlier this month. It was during a private meeting that Trump informed him that the United States would not support an imminent strike, according to the New York Times report, which said the trip was precipitated by U.S. officials informing the Israelis that the White House was backing away from the idea of an Israeli attack on Iran.
In a statement delivered in Hebrew after the meeting, Mr. Netanyahu said that an agreement with Iran would work only if it allowed the signers to “go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision with American execution.”
The US will settle for less.
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