Netanyahu Claims Iran Tried to Assassinate Donald Trump Twice, Says Tehran Views Him as ‘Enemy Number One’

Tel Aviv: As the armed conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fourth consecutive day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a major claim, alleging that Iran made two attempts to assassinate US President Donald Trump due to his tough stance on Iran’s nuclear programme. Netanyahu made these remarks during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, even calling Trump “enemy number one” for Iran.

Iran tried to kill Trump twice, claims Netanyahu

Netanyahu told Fox News that Iran had plotted to assassinate Donald Trump while he was campaigning for the presidential elections last year. He claimed Iran considers Trump a key threat because of his consistent opposition to its nuclear ambitions.

“He’s a decisive leader. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with them in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli Prime Minister added, “He took up this fake agreement and basically tore it up. He killed Qasem Soleimani. He made it very clear, including now, ‘You cannot have a nuclear weapon, which means you cannot enrich uranium.’ He’s been very forceful, so for them, he’s enemy number one.”

When asked if Israel had intelligence that Iran was directly behind the assassination attempts, Netanyahu responded, “Through proxies, yes, through their intel, yes, they want to kill him.”

Netanyahu further claimed that Iran also tried to target him and called himself Trump’s “junior partner” in the battle against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Vetoes Israeli Plan To Kill Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, Says Report | Republic World

Israel Launched First Strikes; Iran Vows Retaliation

The recent wave of conflict began on Friday night, when Israeli jets carried out surprise airstrikes on multiple Iranian military and nuclear sites, including sensitive research facilities and known locations of Iran’s top nuclear scientists and defence officials.

The strikes were described by Israel as a direct response to growing threats from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its expanding nuclear programme. During the first night of attacks, Israel reportedly killed several senior Iranian military commanders and personnel involved in its nuclear weapons development.

Since then, both countries have continued to exchange missile and drone strikes. According to Iranian officials, 224 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Friday, most of them civilians. On the other hand, Israeli emergency services have reported 14 deaths and over 400 injuries due to Iranian missile attacks.

US Blocked Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader

In a separate development, Reuters reported that former US President Donald Trump had blocked an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Citing senior US administration officials, the report stated that Israeli forces had an opportunity to strike Khamenei during the past two days but were stopped after Trump refused to approve the operation.

A senior official quoted in the report said, “Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership.”

Ceasefire Talks Ruled Out

Meanwhile, Iran has refused to consider any ceasefire negotiations. Officials told mediators from Qatar and Oman that Iran will not enter into any talks while under Israeli military attack. This refusal has further dimmed hopes of diplomatic resolution, as fresh strikes continue on both sides.