"Israel never talked me into war with Iran," says Trump

President Trump said Monday in a post on his Truth Social platform that Israeli officials did not convince him the U.S. should go to war with Iran, but that he chose to engage in the joint offensive because of Iranian-backed Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack and Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"Israel never talked me into the war with Iran," Mr. Trump said in the post. "The results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did." 

Congress has concluded that it was not clear whether Iran, which has historically supported Hamas, knew of plans for the Oct. 7 attack before hand, and some reports suggested the attack took top Iranian officials by surprise.

"Just like the results in Venezuela, which the media doesn't like talking about, the results in Iran will be amazing," Mr. Trump added, referring to the U.S. operation in Caracas that resulted in the arrest of former president Nicolás Maduro.

Some of Mr. Trump's prominent backers, including media commentator Tucker Carlson and former head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent, have claimed Israel dragged the U.S. into the ongoing war with Iran. 

The White House has repeatedly pushed back against the allegations as baseless.