President Donald Trump’s often conflicting or inconsistent statements regarding the U.S. war in Iran have not only left American critics confused, but foreign officials as well, including those of a key U.S. ally, who behind the scenes have been left baffled by the president’s remarks.
“A senior Israeli official admitted that it is impossible to gain a full read on Trump’s intentions, saying, ‘If we put Trump’s statements into ChatGPT, it will implode,’” a report from The Times of Israel published Monday reads, citing an unnamed senior Israeli official.
Early on in the conflict, Trump had repeatedly declared that the United States had “won” the war, despite having not achieved any of his administration’s stated war objectives. On March 9, Trump falsely claimed that the Strait of Hormuz – a critical shipping waterway off of Iran’s coastline – had fully re-opened, and also falsely claimed that “many countries” would be sending “war ships in conjunction with the United States” to "keep the Strait open.”
Trump has claimed Iranian officials have asked for a ceasefire, and that a U.S. delegation is scheduled to meet with Iranian officials on Monday for a second round of peace talks – both claims that have been refuted by Tehran. The president has also repeatedly issued genocidal threats and firm deadlines for Iran to comply with his demands, only to later delay or walk them back.
Despite the inconsistency of Trump’s claims, Israeli officials, per reporting from Channel 12, a major Israeli news media company, do believe that Trump wants to reach a negotiated settlement with Iran to end the war. They've also stated that Israel would be willing to cooperate with any ceasefire agreements should they be reached, despite having violated past agreements several times.
“Israel believes that Trump does want to reach a negotiated solution, Channel 12 further reported, and that if he does not reach one this week, the sides will extend the ceasefire to give space to reach an agreement,” reads The Times of Israel’s report.