Trump asked Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran? He clarifies
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has denied asking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran. Instead, he urged an end to hostilities as soon as possible, he said. "No. I said do what's right but I want you to stop as quickly as you can," Trump said, expressing optimism that a nuclear deal with Iran could be finalized within days.
Deal prospects
We're very close to having powerful deal: Trump
When asked about the prospects of a deal, Trump said, "Two or three days..we have a very good chance of doing it." He claimed there were no major obstacles left. "I don't think there are any sticking points. We're very close to having....strong, powerful deal. If we go and bomb, which we can do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing, they'll have nothing left whatsoever."
Conflict resolution
No Hormuz if bombing continues: Trump
But if the bombing continues, "you won't have this Strait (of Hormuz) open for months. If we do the bombing, a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don't," Trump said. He asserted that instead of military force, he's betting on economic pressure. He said, "What has proven to be a very powerful thing is the blockade. The blockade turned out to be much stronger than bombing."
Parties
'They're gonna leave each other alone for another week'
He also claimed that because of his direct role, both Iran and Israel have agreed to stop fighting for now. "He was hit (by Iran), and he hit back. I can't blame him for that. Now they've called it quits....they're gonna leave each other alone for another week or something," he said. Per Axios, Trump warned Netanyahu that he better be careful, or "you will be on your own very soon" if he goes back to war with Iran.