‘US President Donald Trump Not Shy About Using Force If Iran Breaks Commitments’: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said US President Donald Trump wants to "exhaust the possibility" of reaching a diplomatic agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme before considering other options.

In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Netanyahu said Trump preferred negotiations but would not hesitate to use military force if Iran failed to honour its commitments.

"I think President Trump wants to exhaust the possibility of achieving an agreement, especially on the nuclear issue, through negotiations. But he is obviously not shy about using force when the Iranians break every commitment they make, and usually a few hours or a few minutes after they make it. So, I think we should let the President have his opportunity," Netanyahu said.

Praises US-Israel cooperation against Iran

Netanyahu thanked the US for its partnership with Israel in countering Iran's nuclear ambitions, saying their joint efforts had prevented Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and delivery capabilities.

"You know, Israel is keenly grateful for the fact that America joined--and Israel joined forces--to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, not only against us but against the entire West and against the United States," he said.

Military operations set back Iran's programme

Netanyahu said many people did not realise how close Iran had come to advancing its nuclear capabilities, adding that recent military operations by the US and Israel had significantly pushed back Tehran's nuclear programme.

"The fact that we had these two operations, which are called Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury... we call them Rising Lion and Roaring Lion; we actually drove it back," he added.