Iran behind two Trump kill plots, says Benjamin Netanyahu
Donald Trump says he vetoed plans to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader but did not rule out direct US involvement in the conflict.
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Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of planning two failed assassination attempts on Donald Trump during his third presidential campaign last year.
“These people who chant, ‘Death to America,’ tried to assassinate President Trump twice,” Israel’s PM told Fox News on Sunday,
Mr Netanyahu said he had received the information from Iran “through proxies”, and added, “through their intel, yes, they want to kill him”.
American security agencies have never linked the two assassination attempts to the Islamic Republic, but in a speech in September, Mr Trump suggested Iran was behind them.
Meanwhile, President Trump warned that the US could get directly involved in the Israel-Iran conflict if things continue to escalate.
While Mr Trump predicted that Iran and Israel will “make a deal” to end the deadly violence started Friday, the president said the US may find itself involved if a truce doesn’t happen.
“We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” Mr Trump told ABC News on Sunday.
Later Sunday, speaking on Marine One as he left the G7 summit in Calgary, Canada, Mr Trump said: “Sometimes they have to fight it out. We’ll see what happens.”
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‘WE DON’T BELIEVE US CLAIM’: IRAN’S FM
Despite Mr Trump’s denial that the US is already involved in the Mideast conflict, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Tehran on Sunday that it is clear Israel has been co-ordinating its attacks with the “agreement and support of the United States.
“We have received messages from the US through various channels over the past two days stating that the US had no involvement and will have no involvement in this attack,” he said. “As I said, we don’t believe the US’s claim.”
TRUMP STOPPED ASSASSINATION OF IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER
Israel had a plan to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but President Trump vetoed the operation, according to the New York Post.
Israel reported that they had an opportunity to kill Iran’s top leader, but Mt Trump persuaded Israeli officials not to go through with it, the two unidentified officials told Reuters.
“Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership,” an official said.
ISRAEL-IRAN WILL ‘MAKE A DEAL’, SAYS TRUMP
Donald Trump predicted that both Iran and Israel will “make a deal”.
Mr Trump boasted about past peace deals between warring nations and complained that despite him playing a key role in many of those deals, he “doesn’t get credit for anything.”
“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
As Mr Trump made his post, Iran blamed Israel for five car bombs that detonated in Tehran Sunday.
Israel had conducted a series of pre-emptive strikes on Iran last week, targeting its nuclear facilities, killing top military brass and wiping out key scientists in the theocratic regime.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the Sunday strikes were “just the beginning”.
“During my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades, and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR. I stopped it (Biden has hurt the longer term prospects with some very stupid decisions, but I will fix it, again!),” Mr Trump further claimed.
“Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River. There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way!” he went on.
“Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”
MACRON BERATES TRUMP FOR GREENLAND THREATS
French President Emmanuel Macron criticised Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, as he made a visit to the Danish autonomous territory.
“That’s not what allies do,” Mr Macron said as he arrived in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
Mr Macron is the first foreign head of state to visit the vast territory – located at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Arctic – since Mr Trump’s annexation threats.
Mr Macron said his visit was aimed at conveying “France’s and the European Union’s solidarity” for “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Greenland.
VIETNAM ‘NARROWING THE GAP’ IN US TRADE TALKS
Vietnam said it was “narrowing the gap” in trade talks with Washington, but key issues remain unresolved as it tries to head off Donald Trump’s threatened 46 per cent tariff.
Vietnam has the third-biggest trade surplus with the United States of any country after China and Mexico, and was targeted with one of the highest rates in Mr Trump’s global levy blitz.
Vietnamese and US officials have now held three rounds of talks as they strive for a compromise before a 90-day pause on the tariff plans expires in early July.
“The Vietnam and US negotiating teams made much progress, narrowing the gap in all areas of negotiation,” said a statement from Vietnam’s trade ministry after four days of talks concluded in Washington on Thursday.
“The two sides discussed frankly and in a constructive spirit the issues of concern of each country,” it added.
But the statement said meetings would continue online to discuss “outstanding issues”.
– with AFP and The New York Post.
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Originally published as Iran behind two Trump kill plots, says Benjamin Netanyahu