US President Donald Trump Friday asserted that Israel will follow his orders and stop firing if he decides to end the war against Iran. “They’ll do what I tell them. They’ve been a good team player. They’ll stop when I stop. They’ll stop unless they’re provoked, in which case, they’ll have no choice, but they’ll stop when I stop,” Trump told TIME magazine, a day after his address to the nation.
The magazine, in its detailed account of how Trump is now seeking out of a war he started, also points to the extent of Netanyahu’s dependence on Trump. Citing Israeli officials familiar with the matter, the magazine quotes, “Netanyahu has little room to maneuver without Trump’s backing.” as elections are due in Israel.
The Israeli prime minister seems to be inclined towards prolonging the conflict, a position he has conveyed to Trump on multiple occasions. Quoting an Israeli official, the magazine reported that over the last six months, Netanyahu has repeatedly told Trump that the past successes against Iran should serve as a prelude for a more sustained, final campaign.
In his private meeting with Trump in Washington on February 11, Netanyahu said, “We’ve come this far, Donald,” Netanyahu told Trump, according to a source present. “We have to finish what we started.”
How the war may shape elections, and Netanyahu’s fate as the President — depends upon Trump. “Some advisers detect a note of resignation in the President’s thinking,” the magazine reported.
‘Iran eager to finish war’: Trump
Trump also told TIME that Iran was eager to make a deal to end the fighting, signalling what he described as growing pressure on Tehran amid continued military escalation. “Why wouldn’t they call? We just blew up their three big bridges last night,” the President said. “They’re getting decimated. They say Trump is not negotiating with Iran. I mean, it’s sort of an easy negotiation.”
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In his address to the nation yesterday, Trump lauded the military’s efforts in decimating Iran and its armed forces, claiming that the United States had destroyed Tehran’s navy and air force. He added that the US would use unprecedented means to unleash devastating force against Iran, with two to three weeks of fighting still remaining.
However, he ruled out the use of artificial intelligence in such operations. Speaking to the magazine, Trump said he would never allow AI to make lethal decisions, insisting that a human would always remain in control of the chain of command. “I wouldn’t allow AI to do it,” he said. “I respect AI. It’s a decision that a president has to make—assuming he’s competent.”
As the conflict continues, Trump has expressed a degree of respect for Tehran’s resilience, saying that its forces have shown an ability to endure significant hardship. However, he suggested that Iran is more effective at negotiating than fighting.
“They are very tough. They’re able to withstand tremendous pain,” he was quoted as saying by TIME. “So I respect them for that. The fact is, I think they’re better negotiators than they are fighters.”
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Intentionally engaged in public misdirection
The interview also sheds light on Trump’s deliberate public misdirection to protect the mission. A White House official told TIME that Trump told reporters he would decide on strikes within “10, 15 days,” even though he knew the US was planning to attack much sooner. “He was intentionally engaged in public misdirection to protect the mission,” the official said.
As concerns about leaks grew, Trump became increasingly wary, even of his own aides. On February 27, he traveled to Mar-a-Lago, where a group of officials had gathered in a makeshift Situation Room to discuss the operation, TIME reported. Trump bristled at the size of the room. “He thought the group was too big,” one official told TIME. Many of the people present were either strangers to him or not part of the circle he truly trusted.
At one point, he snapped that the operation was off, insisting he needed more time to deliberate. That, however, was a ruse to clear the room. Later, Trump called back a smaller, trusted team, because he had already decided the attack would go ahead that very night.
