US President Trump makes statement that unsettles the world

US President Donald Trump made statements regarding the Iran war, Israel, and the Middle East in an interview with the US-based Time magazine at the White House on September 28. When asked why the war, which he had said at the beginning would last 6 to 8 weeks, was now entering its 7th month, Trump said, "When we hit the nuclear facilities, the facilities were left under thousands of tons of rubble. I could have stopped there. But I didn't think that would be appropriate."

Emphasizing that they want to make a "real deal" with Iran, Trump said, "I could have stopped at that point, but I decided to go further. Because I didn't want them to re-emerge in a different way."

Comparing the Iran war to other wars, Trump said, "We stayed in Vietnam for 20-21 years. We stayed in Afghanistan for years. We stayed in Korea for years. I have been in Iran for 6 months and I have eliminated Iran's nuclear capacity. I destroyed their navy, 159 ships are at the bottom of the sea. I eliminated their air force. All their planes are gone. I destroyed their radars. That's why more oil passed through the Strait last night than at any time in history. We broke a record last night."

When asked if he was aware before the war that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz, Trump replied, "Such a threat always existed and it worked for a while. But essentially, we closed the strait on them. They said 'We will close it,' and I said 'If you close it, you will have big problems.' We took control of the strait."

"I do not think peace can ever be achieved with Iran"

When reminded that he said last week that he could "destroy Iran," Trump said, "Yes, I can do that. It is possible." When asked how destroying a nation could bring peace, Trump replied, "We have established peace in the world by destroying Iran. I do not think peace can ever be achieved with Iran."

When asked what would happen to the innocent people in Iran, Trump replied, "They have killed 75 thousand people in the last few months. They killed protesters, innocent people. They killed a lot of good people. It is documented that 72 to 75 thousand people have been killed. This is an incredible bloodbath. People cannot rise up because they are afraid of being killed. They go out into the street and sometimes a thousand, sometimes 2 thousand people are killed. Snipers shoot them directly in the head."

When asked why he rejected Iran's ceasefire offer over the weekend, Trump replied, "I will not approve today what I would not have approved a year ago. They offered to open the strait. But the offer is not good enough."

Regarding reports that he would increase the bombing after the midterm elections to be held in the country, the US President assessed, "That is possible."

Allegation that Netanyahu knew about the October 7 attack in advance

When asked about allegations that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned about a possible attack before October 7, 2023, Trump said, "This is the first time I've heard that."

When told that Netanyahu was warned in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Trump said, "I don't think so. If he had known, he would have done something. At least he would have alerted people. He is not someone who would forget that."

When asked if he would want the Israeli people to re-elect Netanyahu, Trump replied, "I don't get involved in politics anymore."

To the persistent questions from the Time magazine representative about whether he wants Netanyahu to remain in office, Trump replied, "My priority is to help Israel defend itself."

When asked if it would be possible for the US to work better with former Chief of General Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who is seen as the strongest candidate against Netanyahu, if he were to win, Trump replied, "I don't know. I haven't heard bad things about him."

Trump said, "People have written Bibi (Netanyahu) off many times. Just as they have written me off many times. If I were you, I wouldn't underestimate Bibi too much either."

"I have done a lot for Saudi Arabia, I am protecting them"

When asked about the state of US-Saudi relations following reports that Saudi Arabia was unhappy that the US was not defending them after attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Trump replied, "Good. I have done a lot for Saudi Arabia. I am protecting them. If I weren't president, there wouldn't be a country called Saudi Arabia. There wouldn't be an Israel either. Both would have been wiped off the face of the earth. I love Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Our relations are very good."