President Donald Trump dispelled the notion on Monday that Israel talked him into a war with Iran.
He wrote in a Truth Social post, “Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did. I watch and read the FAKE NEWS Pundits and Polls in total disbelief. 90% of what they say are lies and made up stories, and the polls are rigged, much as the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged.”
“Just like the results in Venezuela, which the media doesn’t like talking about, the results in Iran will be amazing – And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” he added.
𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗝. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬:𝟭𝟲 𝗔𝗠 𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝟬𝟰.𝟮𝟬.𝟮𝟲
Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did. I watch and read the FAKE NEWS…
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 20, 2026
On Oct. 7, 2023, Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 hostages.
In another Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump wrote, “Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to WIN!”
𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗝. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟬𝟵:𝟬𝟳 𝗣𝗠 𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝟬𝟰.𝟭𝟴.𝟮𝟲
Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have…
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 19, 2026
The New York Times reported earlier this month that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team helped persuade Trump during a White House meeting in February, before the war, that “Iran was ripe for regime change and expressing the belief that a joint U.S.-Israeli mission could finally bring an end to the Islamic Republic.”
In response to Netanyahu’s presentation, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine all expressed skepticism that regime change would be as probable as Netanyahu’s government contended, but shared the prime minister’s assessment that Iran’s current top leadership, missile program, and nuclear weapons program could be successfully targeted, according to The New York Times.
Vice President J.D. Vance preferred no strikes at all against Iran, seeing it as “a huge distraction of resources” and “massively expensive,” the outlet added.
At a later meeting, the day before launching the war, Trump again surveyed his top leaders, who at that point mostly offered the pros and cons of the decision.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told the president, “They would have to take care of the Iranians eventually, so they might as well do it now. He offered technical assessments: They could run the campaign in a certain amount of time with a given level of forces,” The New York Times summarized.
Trump concluded, “I think we need to do it,” explaining, “they had to make sure Iran could not have a nuclear weapon, and they had to ensure that Iran could not just shoot missiles at Israel or throughout the region,” The New York Times said.
On Monday, the White House X account posted a CBS “60 Minutes” clip from the previous day’s program featuring Matthew Bunn, a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, who specializes in nuclear weapons proliferation and related subjects.
60 MINUTES: Iran still has nearly 1,000 pounds of highly-enriched uranium — “enough material, if you enrich it just a little bit more, for 10-11 nuclear bombs.”
“Iran has been lying about its nuclear weapons effort for over 20 years now.” pic.twitter.com/8StUWPID0R
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 20, 2026
The former White House adviser confirmed that Iran, based on United Nations inspector reports, had enough highly enriched uranium to create 10 to 11 nuclear bombs with slightly more processing.
He added, “Iran has been lying about its nuclear weapons effort for over 20 years now.”
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