WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off striking Iran, saying it would be “inappropriate” amid talks on a nuclear deal.

“Well, I’d like to be honest, yes I did,” Trump said when asked if he had told Netanyahu in a call last week not to take any action that could disrupt Washington’s talks with Tehran.

Pressed on what he told the Israeli premier, Trump replied: “I just said I don’t think it’s appropriate, we’re having very good discussions with them.”

He added: “I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution.

“I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, save a lot of lives.”

Tehran and Washington have in recent weeks held five rounds of talks focused on the issue — their highest-level contact since the US in 2018 withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during Trump’s first term.—AFP