Trump says Israel would not exist today without him

US President Donald Trump has dismissed allegations that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu manipulated him into launching military action against Iran, saying the decision was solely his.

Speaking on the Pod Force One podcast, Trump pushed back against claims that he had been pressured by Israel into taking action against Tehran.

“He tricked me? I’m the one that started it,” Trump said, arguing that the decision was necessary because “we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”

Criticism of political opponents

Trump blamed his political opponents for spreading the narrative that he had been influenced by Netanyahu.

“They’re just the Dumbocrats. These are people that don’t know what they’re doing,” he said, using a term he frequently employs to criticize Democrats.

The president maintained that concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme had guided his policy decisions for years and were not linked to pressure from foreign leaders.

Longstanding opposition to Iran nuclear deal

Trump said his concerns date back to his first term in office, when he withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated during the administration of former President Barack Obama.

According to Trump, he viewed the deal as insufficient to prevent Iran from eventually developing nuclear weapons capabilities.