Washington: United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Israel and the entire West Asia would not exist today had he failed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, as Washington weighs the possibility of resuming military operations against Tehran amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
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Asserting his foreign policy legacy, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to claim that his intervention had been crucial to the survival of the region.
"Israel and, in fact, the entire Middle East, WOULD NOT EXIST TODAY if I did not stop Iran from having a Nuclear Weapon. Nobody wants to say that, but everybody knows it’s true!" he wrote.
Trump says, he will decide soon
Meanwhile, Trump met with his national security team on Wednesday and Thursday to deliberate on whether to resume military operations against Iran, senior officials told Fox News.
According to the report, the White House held crucial meetings over the two days, while the US Central Command was reportedly finalising preparations for a possible resumption of major operations. However, formal directives from Washington were still pending.
Fox News also reported that November 9 would mark a new moon in the West Asia, resulting in minimal or no moonlight, an environmental condition considered advantageous for military operations.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said Washington would soon decide on whether to launch further strikes to ensure that Iran's nuclear programme was permanently dismantled.
"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough," he said.
He also questioned whether the US should proceed with further military action to ensure that Iran's nuclear programme could never be revived, estimating that it could take the country 25 years to rebuild.
Iran distributes idoine tablets
Amid the possibility of renewed strikes, Iran has reportedly begun distributing iodine tablets to people living near its nuclear facilities.
The Times of London, citing an Iranian Health Ministry official, reported that the preventive medication was being distributed to populations living within a two-to-three-kilometre radius of nuclear installations.
"Yes, we are distributing iodine," the official was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. "Trump can no longer be trusted. He may go through with this crime."
Iodine tablets are used as a protective measure against radioactive iodine exposure, helping prevent the thyroid gland from absorbing it.
$20 Million for information about Iran’s nuclear programme
Al Jazeera also reported that an Iranian political journalist said officials had been informed during a recent briefing that a potential US strike on the heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site was being seriously considered. Trump had earlier referred to the site, located in central Iran, as one of the remaining targets that Washington needed to address. Tehran has strongly denied that the site is a nuclear facility.
In another development, the US military announced on Friday that Washington was offering a reward of up to $20 million, along with possible relocation, for information about Iran's nuclear programme.
In a post on X, the United States Central Command said the State Department's Rewards for Justice programme was seeking information about Iranian nuclear facilities, equipment and associated personnel, including members of the scientific community.
The programme, established in 1984, offers financial incentives for information that helps protect American lives and interests.
The State Department said Iran's failure to meet its safeguards obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had resulted in the agency losing "continuity of knowledge" regarding the production and inventory of critical elements, including centrifuges. However, the announcement did not specify the criteria for receiving the full reward.
"If we didn't hit Iran, you wouldn't have Israel today."
Despite the military preparations and renewed threats, Trump has maintained that Tehran is keen to reach an agreement with Washington.
Speaking in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening, he again defended the US strikes, saying, "If we didn't hit Iran, you wouldn't have Israel today."
"If they had nuclear, they would have used nuclear. They would have obliterated the Middle East," he added.
Claiming that the conflict had severely damaged Iran's economy and military capabilities, Trump said Tehran was eager to negotiate.
"We're dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly," he said.
Qatar to push peace efforts
Diplomatic efforts to prevent a fresh escalation have also gathered pace. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has urged Washington and Tehran not to wait for an ideal opportunity to reach a peace agreement.
Speaking during a public interaction at Oxford University, the Qatari leader stressed the need for pragmatism in resolving the conflict.
"We will never have a perfect peace deal but you can't wait for that perfect moment," he was quoted as saying by Bloomberg, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump has also confirmed that his administration has opened communications with Iranian representatives, telling reporters that Washington was "doing very well with Iran".
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi, during a phone conversation with Trump on Thursday, stressed that Iraqi territory must not be used to launch attacks against neighbouring countries.
In a statement posted on X, the Iraqi Prime Minister's Office said he had reiterated Baghdad's position on respecting state sovereignty and preventing the use of its territory as a launchpad for aggression against neighbouring nations.
Earlier this week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also affirmed that his administration continued to pursue diplomatic avenues to resolve the crisis.
