WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned Sunday that the United States “could get involved” in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran if the deadly exchange of missile strikes does not subside, marking his clearest indication yet that Washington’s hands-off posture could change.
Speaking to ABC News as violence between Israel and Iran entered its fourth day, Trump acknowledged that while the U.S. is not currently involved in military operations, intervention remains on the table.
“We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” Trump said.
The president’s comments came amid intensifying hostilities that have seen hundreds of rockets fired by both sides since Friday, and as questions grow over how long the U.S. can remain on the sidelines. Trump insisted he is still hopeful that a resolution is within reach, predicting that “Iran and Israel will make a deal” to halt the conflict. But his warning signals that a prolonged war could draw Washington directly into a volatile regional confrontation.
In the same interview, Trump revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had offered to mediate talks between Israel and Iran. “He is ready. He called me about it,” Trump said. “We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation [Ukraine]. This is something I believe is going to get resolved.”
Iranian officials disputed Trump’s assertion that the U.S. is uninvolved. In Tehran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters the Iranian government believes Israel’s military campaign has been carried out with U.S. knowledge and approval.
“We have received messages from the U.S. through various channels over the past two days stating that the U.S. had no involvement and will have no involvement in this attack,” Araghchi said. “As I said, we don’t believe the U.S.’s claim.”
As tensions escalated, the U.S. State Department on Sunday authorized the voluntary departure of family members and some non-emergency U.S. government employees from its embassy in Israel. A memo advised American citizens in Israel to leave while commercial flights remain available, warning that the embassy’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect “until further notice.”
“U.S. citizens who wish to depart should not delay in taking advantage of commercial transportation options,” the advisory said.
While Trump has publicly distanced the U.S. from direct involvement in the current conflict, his close alignment with Israel and the longstanding U.S.-Israel defense relationship has led Iran and its allies to view Washington as complicit. The former president also referenced his previous efforts to resolve international disputes, such as negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo and tensions between India and Pakistan.
“This will get resolved,” Trump said. “Just like I got India and Pakistan to stop fighting — and they were very close.”
Still, his stark warning underscores the growing risk that the conflict between Israel and Iran could entangle the United States, particularly if Israeli operations intensify or if Iranian retaliation targets U.S. forces or allies in the region.
For now, Trump’s message is a balancing act between deterrence and diplomacy — but with no ceasefire in sight, the threat of U.S. military involvement in another Middle East war grows more real by the day.
nypost.com
