President Donald Trump said Sunday the United States is not involved in Israel’s military strikes against Iran, but “it’s possible we could get involved.”
That comes after reports that Israel had urged the U.S. to join the conflict with Iran to eliminate its nuclear program.
In an interview with ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Trump declined to comment on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a personal plea for the U.S. to get more involved.
“We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” the president said.
President Donald Trump looks on from the stage during a parade to honor the Army’s 250th anniversary, coinciding with Trump’s 79th birthday, June 14, 2025, in Washington.
Doug Mills/The New York Times/Pool via AP
Trump also shared that he had a lengthy call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to discuss, in large part, the conflict in the Middle East.
The president told ABC News he would be “open” to Putin’s idea to serve as a mediator between Iran and Israel.
“I would be open to it. [Putin] is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved,” Trump stated.
The president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to travel to Oman on Sunday for another round of nuclear talks with Iranian officials. But following Israel’s strikes, Iran called off the meeting. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the nuclear negotiations “unjustifiable” after the attacks, which he said were carried out with the support of the U.S.
The president, who stated he gave Iran a “60-day ultimatum” to “make a deal,” told ABC News he is not setting a new deadline.
“No, there’s no deadline. But they are talking. They’d like to make a deal. They’re talking. They continue to talk,” the president said, referring to Iran.
“Something like this had to happen because I think even from both sides, but something like this had to happen. They want to talk, and they will be talking,” the president added.
Iran’s foreign minister told a meeting of ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday that Israel’s ongoing attacks on the country could not have happened “without the agreement and support of the United States” and insisted Iranian officials do not ‘believe the U.S.’s claim’ that it had no involvement.
Despite the stalled talks over Iran’s nuclear program, the president expressed optimism that the strikes will bring Iran to the table quickly.
“May have forced a deal to go quicker, actually,” Trump said.
