The Blubber

Donald Trump said in a phone interview Friday that he and his administration had full awareness of Israel’s plan to strike Iran, and that Tehran had been given a fair opportunity to make a deal on its nuclear program.

“We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,” Trump said. “I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out.”

He reiterated that diplomacy was still possible. “They can still work out a deal — it’s not too late.”

According to Trump, he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay military action in order to allow more time for negotiations, even though he had himself threatened military force against Iran if nuclear talks collapsed.

“I gave the Iranians 60 days to make a deal, and today is 61,” he said, referencing his self-imposed deadline. “We knew just about everything. We knew enough that we gave Iran 60 days to make a deal and today is 61, right? So, you know, we knew everything.”

When asked about the status of Iran’s nuclear program following the Israeli airstrikes, Trump responded, “Nobody knows. It was a very devastating hit.”

Israel has stated that its strikes targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile production sites, and key military figures in an effort to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon — the beginning of what it called a sustained military campaign.

Trump confirmed that nuclear negotiations with Iran were still scheduled for Sunday in Oman, though he admitted the situation might now jeopardize those plans. “They’re not dead,” he said of the talks. “We have a meeting with them on Sunday. Now, I’m not sure if that meeting will take place, but we have a meeting with them on Sunday.”

He noted that his national security team met at Camp David earlier in the week for discussions that included Iran, and that he had also spoken with Netanyahu on Monday.

While declining to speculate in detail, Trump said he wasn’t concerned about a broader regional war following the Israeli strikes. Asked directly whether the U.S. would support Israel if Iran retaliated, he replied: “We’ve been very close to Israel. We’re their number one ally by far.”

“We’ll see what happens,” he added.