Trump says he does not foresee war with Iran

Video Credit: Reuters - Politics
Published on January 1, 2020 - Duration: 01:23s

Trump says he does not foresee war with Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he does not think rising tensions with Iran will spiral into a war, though he had earlier threatened retaliation against the country, after the attack on a military base by Iranian-led militia in Baghdad, Iraq.

Jayson Albano reports.


Trump says he does not foresee war with Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not want - or foresee - a war with Iran.

Trump was speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

One journalist asked him about the possibility of tensions sprialing into a war with Iran.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ANSWERING REPORTER'S (UNINTELLIGIBLE) QUESTION ABOUT IRAN, SAYING: "I don't think that would be a good idea for Iran.

It wouldn't last very long.

Do I want to?

No.

I want to have peace.

I like peace.

And Iran should want peace more than anybody.

So I don't see that happening.

No, I don't think Iran would want that to happen.

It would go very quickly." Trump earlier warned of retaliation against Iran, following violent protests led by Iranian-backed militia at the U.S. embassy in Iraq's Baghdad.

He also made reference to a similar attack on a U.S. consul in the Lebanese city of Benghazi in 2012.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP REPLYING TO REPORTER'S QUESTION ABOUT THE U.S. MILITARY RESPONSE TO THE ATTACKS ON THE AMERICAN EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD, AND SAYING IN REFERENCE TO THE DEADLY ATTACK ON THE U.S. CONSUL IN BENGHAZI, LIBYA, YEARS EARLIER: This will not be a 'Benghazi'.

Benghazi should never have happened.

This will never, ever be a Benghazi.

But we have some of our greatest warriors there.

They got in there very quickly.

So as we saw, there was a potential for problem.

They got in and there was no problem whatsoever." The protests followed U.S. air strikes on sunday on bases operated by Iranian-backed militia.

25 fighters were killed, and dozens more were wounded.

Those strikes were in retaliation for the killing of a U.S. civilian... in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.

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