Trump says ‘it’s very hard’ to ask Israel to halt strikes on Iran, dismisses Europe’s mediation efforts | World News

US President Donald Trump said Friday that it’s difficult to persuade Israel to end its assault on Iran. “It’s very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing,” Trump was quoted as saying The New York Times.
“But we’re ready, willing and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens,” he added. The US President further said that applying pressure on Israel to stop its drone and missile strikes was unrealic.

“Israel is doing well in terms of war, and I think you would have to say Iran is doing less well… It’s a little hard to get someone to stop.”

Trump also dismissed European diplomatic efforts to mediate the conflict.

“Iran didn’t want to speak to Europe, they want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one,” he said.

Ambivalent on ceasefire support
According to Reuters, when asked if he would support a ceasefire while negotiations are ongoing, Trump said:

“I might, depending on the circumstances.”

Asked about the possibility of deploying US ground forces, Trump responded:

“Well, I’m not going to talk about ground forces, because the last thing you want to do is ground forces.”

Meanwhile, in Geneva, the foreign miners of Britain, France and Germany met with Iran’s foreign miner for three hours. The European miners urged Iran to return to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme, but the session ended with little sign of progress.
Story continues below this ad

Ninth day of airstrikes, mounting casualties
The Israel-Iran aerial exchanges entered their ninth day. Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory.
According to Iran-based Human Rights Activs News Agency, at least 639 people have been killed in Iran. Israel has reported 24 civilian deaths from Iranian strikes.
Trump and the White House have said a decision on possible direct US involvement in the conflict will be made within two weeks.
(With inputs from The New York Times, Reuters)