President Donald Trump has said the United States is “not involved at this moment” in the escalating military conflict between Israel and Iran, but did not rule out future involvement, saying “it’s possible we could get involved.”
Speaking to ABC News’ Rachel Scott during a televised interview on Sunday, Trump addressed the growing regional crisis following a series of airstrikes and missile exchanges between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
He described Israel’s latest attack as “very devastating”, adding that both countries had been hit, but Iran bore the brunt of the strikes.
Trump confirmed that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had offered to mediate the conflict during a phone call on Saturday.
“Yeah, I would be open to it,” Trump said. “He is ready. We had a long talk about it.” Trump added that he discussed the Middle East escalation with Putin more extensively than Russia’s own ongoing tensions with NATO.
On the possibility of diplomacy with Iran, the president indicated that backchannel negotiations are ongoing, and despite the violence, “they want to talk, and they will be talking.”
He dismissed the idea of setting a firm deadline for Iran to return to the negotiating table but suggested that the strikes “may have forced a deal to go quicker.”
President Trump made the remarks while attending celebrations for the US Army’s 250th anniversary, which coincided with his 79th birthday on June 14.
The conflict continues to dominate headlines as world powers urge restraint and call for renewed diplomatic efforts.
