Trump Warns Iran Of Possible Strike, Suggests Iran May Be Restoring Weapons Programs At New Sites

Palm Beach (Florida): US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States could support another major attack on Iran if it continues to rebuild its ballistic missile or nuclear weapons programs and warned Hamas that it would face serious consequences if it did not disarm.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump suggested Tehran may be working to revive its weapons programs following a major US attack in June.

“I’ve read that they’re producing weapons and other things, and if so, they’re probably using different sites, not the sites that we destroyed,” Trump told reporters at the press conference.

“We know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing, and I hope they’re not doing that because we don’t want to waste fuel on the B-2,” he added, referring to the bomber used in the earlier attack. “It’s a 37-hour trip both ways. I don’t want to waste too much fuel.”

Claiming that a potential nuclear deal with Tehran has been on the agenda in recent months, Trump said his talks with Netanyahu focused on advancing the fragile Gaza peace agreement brokered by him and addressing Israel’s concerns about Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran, which entered into a 12-day war with Israel in June, announced last week that it conducted missile drills for the second time this month.

Last week, Netanyahu stated that Israel did not intend to confront Iran, but that he was aware of the news and said that Tehran would increase its activities with Trump.

SECOND PHASE IN GAZA?

Trump said he wanted to move to the second phase of a ceasefire agreement reached in October between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas after two years of conflict in Gaza; this is an advance that requires the deployment of international peacekeeping forces to the Palestinian region.

Israel and Hamas accuse each other of gross violations of the agreement and are unwilling to accept the much tougher steps envisaged for the next phase. Hamas, which refuses to disarm, is regaining control as Israeli troops remain entrenched in about half of the area.

Israel stated that if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully, it will continue military operations to ensure this.

In comments on Monday, Trump accused Israel of failing to disarm the militant group more quickly, arguing that Israel had kept its end of the deal and warning that Hamas was inviting serious consequences.

Asked what he would do if Hamas did not lay down its weapons, Trump warned: “There will be hell to pay.” He had made similar statements before during conflicts.

Netanyahu said this month that Trump invited him for talks at a time when Washington is trying to establish an interim administration for the Palestinian territory in the face of Israel’s reluctance to move forward.

The deployment of international security forces was made mandatory by the November 17 UN Security Council resolution.

Although Washington has brokered three ceasefires between longtime allies Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran and Israel and Lebanon, Netanyahu is wary of Israel’s enemies rebuilding their forces after being significantly weakened in multiple wars.

Overall, Trump’s comments show that he remains firmly on Netanyahu’s side, even though some of his aides have privately questioned the Israeli leader’s commitment to the Gaza ceasefire. Although Trump was praised for resolving Israel’s wars in both places, his comments also suggested he was willing to risk additional hostilities regarding Gaza and Iran.

Trump struck a warm tone when greeting Netanyahu before the meeting, going so far as to say that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had told him he planned to pardon Netanyahu on corruption-related charges; Herzog’s office immediately denied the conversation.

Netanyahu also told reporters after the meeting that he gifted Trump the Israel Prize of the country, which he said was historically reserved for Israelis.

NEXT STEPS IN THE GAZA ceasefire plan

Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war ultimately requires Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territory and Hamas to lay down its weapons and give up its governing role.

The first phase of the ceasefire included a partial Israeli withdrawal, increased aid, and a hostage exchange for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

An Israeli official in Netanyahu’s circle said the prime minister would demand that the first phase of the ceasefire be completed by Hamas returning the remains of the last remaining Israeli hostage in Gaza before moving on to the next phases. Ran Gvili, the family of the dead hostage, also joined the prime minister’s visiting delegation.

Israel has not yet opened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, as a condition of Trump’s plan, and has said it will do so only after Gvili’s body is returned.

Trump said he and Netanyahu did not fully agree on the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but the Republican leader did not explain what the disagreement was.

Türkiye AND SYRIA WERE ALSO DISCUSSED

Ahead of the meeting, Trump told reporters that he would talk to Netanyahu about the possibility of deploying Turkish peacekeepers to Gaza. This is a matter of concern; Although Trump frequently praises Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Israel and Türkiye have a much more cautious relationship.

Although the conflict in Gaza has decreased, it has not stopped completely. Although the ceasefire officially began in October, Israeli attacks have killed more than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, and Palestinian militants have also killed three Israeli soldiers.

Netanyahu said Monday that Israel is willing to maintain a peaceful border with Syria, and Trump said he was confident Israel would get along well with President Ahmed al-Shara, who came to power after the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad last year.

But Israel suspected the new leader, once a member of Al Qaeda, of going so far as to bomb government buildings in Damascus this July.