US President Donald Trump on Friday credited his administration's military campaign against Iran with preventing the destruction of Israel and the Middle East, arguing that his actions had stopped Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
"Israel and, in fact, the entire Middle East, WOULD NOT EXIST TODAY if I did not stop Iran from having a Nuclear Weapon," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"Nobody wants to say that, but everybody knows it’s true!" he added.
The statement followed another warning from Trump on Thursday that the United States remained prepared to launch additional military strikes against Iran if necessary.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the President indicated that he preferred to avoid further military action but did not rule out renewed attacks, suggesting that a decision could come soon.
"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I’ll have to. You will know soon enough."
"If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we’re very much locked and loaded," Trump stressed.
The warnings came as diplomatic efforts continued to address Iran's nuclear program and prevent a resumption of hostilities.
On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Tehran was considering proposals from international mediators concerning its nuclear activities, potentially opening the door to renewed negotiations with Washington.
Later that day, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran had submitted a nuclear proposal to the United States through Qatar but would not begin negotiations until Washington fulfilled seven conditions imposed by Tehran.
Those demands include lifting American sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets and providing compensation for damage caused by the war.
The United States, however, has maintained that Iran's nuclear program must be included in any initial negotiations.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)