Trump says Iran attacks on Arab states escalated the conflict: 'We were surprised’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump stated that the ‘biggest surprise’ in the ongoing conflict with Iran has been Tehran’s direct attacks on Arab states in the region.

He argued that this escalation has drawn countries into the fight that initially wanted to remain on the sidelines. 

In a recent interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Trump said that Iranian strikes targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates changed the regional dynamic.

Trump says Iran attacks shocked Arab leaders

So far, the president said, “the biggest surprise” has been Iran’s attacks against Arab countries in the region: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

“We were surprised,” Trump said.

“We told them, ‘We’ve got this,’ and now they want to fight. And they’re aggressively fighting. They were going to be very little involved and now they insist on being involved.”

The president stated that he knows many Arab leaders personally and described them as “tough and smart.”

Trump mentioned that Iran's actions, including reported strikes on civilian buildings such as hotels and apartment buildings, angered those governments and led to a change in their stance.

The Iranians, he said, “shot into a hotel, they shot into an apartment house. It just made them angry. They love us, but they were watching. There was no reason for them to be involved.” Of Iran’s attacks on them, he said, "That was probably the biggest surprise.”

Trump defends military action against Iran

Trump pointed to Iran’s nuclear program as the central issue driving instability in the region. He said Arab nations had long lived “under that dark cloud,” arguing that lasting peace was impossible while Tehran continued enriching uranium.

“You have to understand, they were living under that dark cloud for years. That’s why you could never have peace,” he said. The president said that his team tried to negotiate with the Iranians but “we couldn’t make a deal with these people.”

Every new offer, he said, was met with a walk-back of previous proposals. The Iranians wouldn’t agree to end their uranium enrichment, Trump said.

“They had all that enriched stuff. They looked at redoing it there, but it was in such bad shape, the mountain had basically collapsed,” Trump said.

Trump said of his military action, "This is the way” to deal with Iran.

He described the current operation as part of a larger strategy that has been in place for decades in response to Iran since the 1979 revolution. He added that he had asked his advisers to compile a list of attacks by Iran or its supporters against the United States and its allies over the past 47 years.