We should never have gone to Iran: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said the United States should not have become militarily involved in either Iraq or Iran, describing past American interventions in the region as major strategic mistakes.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump sharply criticised the US invasion of Iraq, calling it a “huge mistake” that created a disastrous situation.

“We created a very bad situation there. What we did was extremely foolish. Frankly, we should never have gone there in the first place,” Trump said.

Turning to Iran, the US president argued that Washington should not have been involved there either. However, he maintained that a US military strike carried out nine months ago using B-2 stealth bombers prevented Tehran from advancing toward a nuclear weapon.

According to Trump, without that operation, Iran could have become capable of producing a nuclear bomb, potentially posing a serious threat to the existence of Israel and significantly altering the balance of power across the Middle East.

Trump also claimed that the United States deliberately avoided targeting Iran’s military infrastructure in its entirety. He suggested that some elements within Iran’s armed forces were considered comparatively moderate, influencing Washington’s approach.

Drawing parallels with past conflicts, Trump noted that some countries have taken decades to recover after their state institutions and military structures were completely dismantled. For that reason, he said, the U.S. chose not to pursue the total destruction of Iran’s military capabilities.

Trump’s remarks come amid renewed tensions between the United States and Iran, and are likely to fuel further debate over Washington’s long-standing military role in the region.

Source: Fox News, Al Jazeera