Netanyahu Didn’t Manipulate Me Into Iran War — Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected claims that he was manipulated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into launching a war against Iran.

“He tricked me? I’m the one that started it,” Trump told the New York Post in an interview on Wednesday.

“I don’t want to bore anybody, but I started it because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. That pertains to Israel because they probably would have been the first ones to get hit,” he added.

Trump also confirmed he had snapped at Netanyahu during a heated telephone call earlier this week, describing him as “stupid” and “unhinged”, before calling him “crazy” and making further disparaging remarks.

Separately, Trump told reporters he was “perturbed” by Netanyahu over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon as the U.S. worked towards a peace agreement with Iran.

“I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constant fighting in Lebanon. At some point I said, ‘Bibi, we’ve got to stop this,’” he said.

Netanyahu has also rejected claims that he misled Trump into the conflict, calling the suggestion “fake news”.

“Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on,” he said at a press conference.

“President Trump always makes his own decisions on what he thinks is good for America,” he added.

“I didn’t have to convince him. He understood that — he explained it to me, I didn’t explain it to him,” he said.

Trump also dismissed critics who accused him of being manipulated, describing them as “Dumbocrats”.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, sought to manage expectations about the duration of the conflict, saying, “I said it could be quick and decisive. It may take some time, but it’s not going to take years. It’s not an endless war.”

Trump had previously suggested the war would last about four weeks, but has since signalled an open-ended approach.

He said he would decide on its conclusion “at the right time” in consultation with Netanyahu.