President Donald Trump said Sunday that the decision on when to end the war with Iran will be made jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling it a "mutual" determination between the two leaders.
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Trump emphasized the close coordination between Washington and Jerusalem as the conflict continues.
"I think it's mutual ... a little bit. We've been talking. I'll make a decision at the right time, but everything's going to be taken into account," Trump said when asked whether he alone would decide when the war would end.
The president suggested that while Netanyahu will have input, the final decision ultimately rests with him.
Trump also argued that the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign prevented Iran from carrying out what he described as a broader regional threat.
"Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it," Trump said. "We've worked together. We've destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel."
The war began Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched a coordinated strike that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dramatically escalating the long-simmering conflict with the Islamic Republic.
Since then, U.S. and Israeli forces have carried out extensive strikes targeting Iran's military infrastructure, missile systems, and nuclear-related facilities.
Trump declined to speculate on whether Israel could continue the war even if the United States eventually halted its own military operations.
"I don't think it's going to be necessary," he said when asked about the possibility.
The president has avoided committing to a specific timeline for the conflict. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that the administration expects the war to last roughly four to six weeks, depending on conditions on the ground.
Trump spoke with The Times of Israel shortly after Iranian state media reported that the country's Assembly of Experts had selected Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain supreme leader, as Iran's next leader.
Earlier Sunday, Trump warned that any new Iranian leadership would face consequences if it challenges U.S. authority.
In an interview with ABC News, Trump said Iran's next leader would not "last long" if he did not have approval from Washington.
Asked directly about Mojtaba Khamenei's reported elevation, Trump declined to elaborate.
"We'll see what happens," the president told The Times of Israel.
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