It’s hard to ask Israel to stop striking Iran, says Trump

New York: Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that urging Israel to halt its airstrikes on Iran would be a challenging request, despite ongoing efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the escalating conflict.

Speaking to reporters at a New Jersey fundraiser held at his golf course, Trump emphasised Washington’s central role in negotiations. He dismissed European diplomatic efforts, saying, “Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help on this one,” according to reports from Xinhua, citing local media.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on whether the administration would push for a ceasefire to facilitate the progression of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, stating she “can’t speculate” on future steps.

"I'm not going to characterize what's happening now, or the reaction by the president or the secretary of state to what those negotiations might be," Bruce said at a news briefing Friday.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Friday morning that over 35 missile storage and launch sites in Iran’s Kermanshah and Tiberias regions were destroyed during a coordinated aerial assault involving more than 25 Israeli Air Force fighter jets.

In a statement posted on X, the IDF said the strikes were guided by precise intelligence, targeting military infrastructure linked to the Iranian regime. “This morning, the Air Force completed a wave of attacks... with precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Branch,” the statement read.

Additional airstrikes reportedly targeted Iranian missile systems and radar installations in Isfahan and Tehran, which the IDF claimed were intended to interfere with Israeli aircraft operations.

(inputs from IANS)