Trump: US would never attack Iran if it had nuclear weapons

‘We’d be calling the Supreme Leader: How are you, sir?’

US President Donald Trump has said the United States would have dealt with Iran “much differently” if Tehran had possessed nuclear weapons, suggesting that Washington would have been seeking dialogue with Iran’s Supreme Leader rather than launching military attacks.

“If they had a nuclear weapon, I’d be calling the Supreme Leader, and I’d be saying, ‘Mr Supreme Leader, how are you, sir? Is there anything we can do for you?’ — as opposed to bombing the crap out of him,” Trump said.

His remarks have added a striking dimension to the controversy surrounding the US attack on Iran, which Washington has justified largely on concerns over Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons capability.

The military action has drawn condemnations and renewed accusations of double standards in the international debate over nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

Critics have questioned why Iran is subjected to military action over allegations that it is seeking or could develop nuclear weapons while Israel is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal, despite maintaining a policy of nuclear ambiguity.

The question being raised by critics is blunt: if nuclear weapons are considered such a grave threat in the Middle East, why is Israel allowed to maintain them while Iran is attacked over allegations of pursuing them?

Trump, however, defended the US military campaign, claiming that Iran would have posed an even greater danger had it acquired a nuclear weapon.

“They’re crazy … They would have wiped out Israel. They would have wiped out the Middle East and they would have started hitting a couple of our cities,” he said.

The US president said the destruction of Iran’s nuclear capability was necessary because, in his assessment, Tehran would have used a nuclear weapon if it had acquired one.

“If Iran had a nuclear weapon, we’d be calling up and saying, ‘Sir, could we get together possibly?’ We’d be dealing with them much differently,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments have therefore raised an apparent contradiction at the heart of the conflict: while he argues that a nuclear armed Iran would have made Washington more cautious and diplomatic, the United States chose military action to prevent Tehran from reaching that point.

He has also defended the conduct of the war, saying he has no regrets and would make the same decision again.

“If I had to do it again, I would do exactly as I did,” Trump said.

Trump further predicted that the conflict would end shortly after the November 3 US midterm elections, although he said it could end earlier.

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