Following Israel's attack on Iran, the US was quick to claim that it was not involved in the strikes. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's claims of being a respected world leader who makes the world a safer place were one of the casualties of the attack.
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“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” stated Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.”
Rubio indicated that the Trump administration received advance warning of the attack on Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility and other targets, including residential buildings.
“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense,” he added.
Earlier this week, citing the volatile situation in the Middle East, the US had moved personnel out of the region, and Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, had tweeted prior to the strikes that he was at the embassy and “closely following the situation.”
Rubio stressed that the US has no desire to be drawn into this conflict.
“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” he said.
While it seems likely that Tehran will at least partially blame the US for supplying Israel with weapons and intelligence, it remains to be seen whether it will target Americans in the coming days.
One way or another, the attack does not make the administration look good as it happened in the midst of negotiations between the US and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program.
Earlier on Thursday, Donald Trump had still emphasized that he wanted to resolve the situation peacefully.
“We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon.”
Israel’s attack also deals a blow to the US president’s claim to make the world a safer place.
For example, Trump has boasted for years that, because of how respected and feared he is, Russia would never have attacked Ukraine if he had been in office. Of course, he also promised to end that conflict on the first day of his presidency, which has not happened.
Now, on his watch, a serious conflict between Israel and Iran is brewing that could lead to (more) chaos in the Middle East.
And Democrats quickly took note of the fact that the events of early Friday morning cannot be reconciled with the president’s brags.
“Israel’s attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration’s negotiations with Tehran, is further evidence of how little respect world powers – including our own allies – have for President Trump,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
