Photo credit: ANI
US President Donald Trump has said the peace deal signed between Washington and Tehran on Wednesday would remove what he described as Israel’s ‘biggest risk,’ claiming it significantly reduces the threat of a nuclear strike on Israel. The remarks were made to reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France.Revealing details of his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the signing, Trump said the agreement was designed to protect Israel from existential danger. “Look, think of what Israel is getting. They’re not going to be nuked,” he said, speaking alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump added that he had directly told Netanyahu that Israel’s central concern had been addressed. “Bibi, your biggest risk was that they’d drop a nuclear weapon into the middle of Israel. They’d only need one, and there would be no more Israel,” he said. “Think of it, Bibi. You got the best, the most important thing that you were asking for,” Trump added, asserting that he thinks “they’re happy” with the agreement.He also reiterated that he had conveyed the same message privately to Netanyahu, saying the deal addressed Israel’s most critical security concern. Trump’s remarks came amid reports that Israel strongly opposed the deal. Axios reported that instead of public criticism, Israeli officials have been voicing concerns through background briefings with journalists. Netanyahu-aligned media, previously supportive of Trump, have also turned critical, with a Channel 14 host reportedly calling Vice President Vance a “sc**bag” and using an antisemitic slur against Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner over alleged “sell-out” claims.Trump earlier criticised Israel’s military conduct in the region, saying Netanyahu would need to “be more responsible” regarding Lebanon, while suggesting the issue involving Hezbollah could be better addressed by Syria. “Without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did,” he said at the G7.The US president has grown increasingly publicly critical of Netanyahu, confirming in an earlier interview this month that he called the Israeli leader “fucking crazy” during a phone call. Days earlier, he told Axios that Netanyahu had “no fucking judgement” over a Beirut strike that he said nearly jeopardised the deal.The remarks come shortly after Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war, with the US administration releasing the official text of the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran. The deal contains 14 articles outlining the framework for negotiations toward a final settlement.With the interim framework now in place, further negotiations are expected over Iran’s nuclear programme and enforcement mechanisms.
