Netanyahu says Trump seeks Iran deal but ready to use force

Netanyahu said Trump wants to exhaust all diplomatic options with Iran but is willing to use force if Tehran violates commitments. In an interview with NBC News, the Israeli Prime Minister stated, "I think President Trump wants to exhaust all possibilities of reaching an agreement, especially regarding the nuclear issue, through negotiations." However, he added that Trump "has no qualms about resorting to force when the Iranians fail to comply with all the commitments they undertake." Source: infobae

Trump himself told CNN that the US "hit them very hard last night" and claimed that an agreement was in place before Iran attacked a ship with a drone. "They were giving in on everything, and suddenly, two hours later, they attacked a ship with a drone," Trump said. Source: diariolibre In a separate NBC interview, Trump said the attack occurred "less than an hour" after a "perfect" deal. Source: infobae

Escalating conflict

The comments come amid a new round of US-Iran strikes. According to infobae, Iran launched a drone at the container ship M/V GFS Galaxy in the Strait of Hormuz. The US retaliated by hitting about 140 Iranian military targets, and Iran responded with missiles and drones against US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, announcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz "until further notice." Netanyahu expressed gratitude for the joint US-Israel offensive against Iran that began on February 28, saying Israel is "deeply grateful" for the cooperation to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Source: infobae

Netanyahu made his comments while honoring the late Senator Lindsey Graham, whom he quoted as urging him to "finish this nuclear weapons program before they finish us." Source: diariolibre