Good man, he'll do whatever I want him to: Trump praises Netanyahu

Donald Trump said Benjamin Netanyahu would do whatever he wanted on Iran when asked about a possible strike. He also praised the Israeli leader, defended him over corruption criticism and joked about running for prime minister.

In Short

• Trump says he is still giving Iran diplomacy one chance
• Defends Netanyahu against criticism linked to corruption charges in Israel
• Iran warns Trump is preparing for new round of war

After giving diplomacy "one shot" to permanently end his war on Iran, US President Donald Trump sounded remarkably certain about who controls the next step in the Middle East. Standing before reporters on Wednesday, he declared that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu would do "whatever I want him to do" on Iran.

Asked what he had recently told Netanyahu regarding a possible military strike on Iran, Trump replied without hesitation.

"He'll do whatever I want him to do. He's a very good man. He'll do whatever I want him to do. And he's a great guy. Don't forget he was a wartime prime minister," Trump said.

TRUMP DEFENDS NETANYAHU

The US President defended Netanyahu against criticism over corruption charges in Israel. On many occasions, Trump has appealed for presidential pardon for the Israeli Prime Minister.

"He's not treated right in Israel, in my opinion," Trump said.

The US President even joked about entering Israeli politics himself. "So maybe after I do this, I'll go to Israel, run for prime minister," Trump quipped.

"I had a poll this morning. I'm right now at 99 per cent in Israel," he added.

TRUMP IN NO HURRY TO END WAR

Amid boiling tensions in the Middle East, Trump insisted he was not rushing toward either war or diplomacy.

The US President again claimed the conflict with Iran would end "very quickly”, despite growing uncertainty over negotiations and fears of renewed military escalation. During the same exchange with reporters, Trump defended the pace of diplomacy after being asked whether talks with Tehran were taking longer than expected.

"Let's put it this way, you were in Vietnam 19 years. You were in Afghanistan and these other places 10 years," he said.

"I'm in for three months, and much of it has been a ceasefire. We're gonna give this one shot. I'm in no hurry," Trump said.

"Ideally, I'd like to see a few people killed, as opposed to a lot."

IRAN ACCUSES US OF PREPARING NEW ATTACKS

Tehran, meanwhile, accused Trump of preparing for another round of war. Iran warned that any fresh attack would trigger retaliation far beyond the Middle East. "If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time," Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also leading Tehran's negotiations, said recent developments indicated Washington was still preparing possible military action. In an audio message shared on social media, he said "obvious and hidden moves by the enemy" showed the US were planning new attacks.

At the same time, diplomatic efforts continued behind the scenes. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Wednesday for fresh discussions with Iranian officials. Pakistan has mediated in the crisis and previously hosted the only round of peace talks between the two sides. Islamabad has also continued passing messages between Washington and Tehran through backchannel contacts.

Iran has now submitted another proposal to the US. However, details indicates Tehran has largely repeated demands that Trump had already rejected earlier. These include lifting sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets, compensation for war damage, withdrawal of US troops from nearby areas and recognition of Iran's control-linked demands around the Strait of Hormuz.

The US President also repeated that he had recently halted a planned military strike on Iran only "one hour away" from execution after Gulf allies urged Washington to give diplomacy another opportunity.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies