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The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday issued its first statement in response to a New York Times report that U.S. President Donald Trump blocked a planned Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
According to the report, Israel had prepared to launch an attack on Iran as early as May, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by Trump that he had chosen to pursue diplomatic efforts instead, aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
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Ali Khamenei, Benjmamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump
(Photo: Mohammed Yassin / Reuters Mandel Ngan / AFP)
“For over a decade, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led the global campaign against Iran's nuclear program, even when the threat was belittled and labeled ‘political spin,’ and the prime minister was called ‘paranoid,’” the PMO said in a post on X.
“The prime minister has led countless overt and covert operations in the campaign against Iran’s nuclear program. It is only due to these operations that Iran does not currently possess a nuclear arsenal.” The statement did not include a denial of the New York Times report.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month
(Photo: GPO)
According to the article, there were two opposing camps within the Trump administration: one, which included CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, supported Israel’s plans; the other expressed concern that the U.S. could be drawn into a regional war and pushed to give diplomacy a chance.
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The Times reported that Netanyahu’s rushed visit to the White House earlier this month was an effort to persuade Trump to approve the strike — an effort that ultimately failed.
Israeli officials had reportedly developed a range of plans for a May operation aimed at delaying Iran’s nuclear progress by at least a year. Some in Israel believed the U.S. might approve the plan, which, according to sources briefed on the matter, relied heavily on American involvement — both to shield Israel from potential retaliation and to help ensure the operation’s success.