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US President Donald Trump has predicted that the warring nations “will make a deal” on his social media platform on Sunday, as “many calls and meetings [are] now taking place”.
He also claimed successful mediation efforts in the past, most recently between India and Pakistan, after hostilities between the nuclear-armed rivals escalated last month.
“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using trade with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and stop,” Trump wrote.
“Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River. There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way.”
“Likewise, we will have peace, soon, between Israel and Iran. Many calls and meetings now taking place.”
“I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s ok, the people understand. Make the Middle East great again,” Trump concluded.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran would “pay a very heavy price” for the civilian casualties caused during last night’s aerial attacks by Iran.
Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian, for his part, announced a “harsher and more severe” response in case Israeli attacks continued.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides had told reporters on Sunday morning he would “deliver a message” from Iran upon Tehran’s request to Netanyahu when he spoke to him on the phone later.
The request was then denied by the Iranian government, to the consternation of Cypriot officials.