President Trump defends his decision to go to war with Iran
In a heated Truth Social post, the president argued that his decision to go to war against Iran had nothing to do with Israel, but rather, his lifelong opinion on the matter
by Summer Lane | April 20, 2026
President Donald Trump defended his decision to take the United States to war against Iran, hitting back at speculation that Israel – America’s joint military partner in this operation – dragged him into it.
“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” the president wrote.
He continued, “I watch and read the FAKE NEWS Pundits and Polls in total disbelief. 90% of what they say are lies and made up stories, and the polls are rigged, much as the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged.”
The president held up the U.S. military operation in Venezuela in early January as an example of the kind of success he envisioned for Iran.
Americans recall that at the beginning of the year, the U.S. removed Nicolas Maduro from power, installed a new president, Delcy Rodriguez, and seized essential control of Venezuelan oil reserves.
“Just like the results in Venezuela, which the media doesn’t like talking about, the results in Iran will be amazing – And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” President Trump argued.
Operation Epic Fury began on February 28. Since then, the world has felt the effects of the massive conflict against Iran, especially as the Strait of Hormuz – a key shipping channel for the entire region – has remained tenuously closed.
Last week, President Trump announced that the Strait had reopened, but that victory was short-lived. Over the weekend, the president said Iran “decided to fire bullets” in the Strait, describing this action as a violation of the standing ceasefire – a temporary pause in the violence that expires Tuesday evening.
“That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations. Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it,” the president said.
President Trump renewed his threat to bomb power plants and bridges within Iran if the nation refuses to agree to a deal with the United States. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” he wrote.
President Trump told PBS News on Monday morning that if the ceasefire does indeed expire on Tuesday with no deal, “then lots of bombs start going off.”
He told the outlet that he wasn’t sure if Iran would be participating in the diplomatic talks in Islamabad. “I don’t know,” he stated. “I mean, they’re supposed to be there. We agreed to be there, although they say we didn’t. But no, it was set up. And we’ll see whether or not it’s there. If they’re not there, that’s fine too.”
Importantly, the president also noted that his red line in these negotiations was simple: “No nuclear weapons. Very simple. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
This is a bit of a diplomatic step back from U.S. requests that allegedly demanded Iran agree to a “zero” uranium enrichment policy – a much harder red line to enforce.
