Blinken denies Trump's words about his support for attack on Iran
Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has denied US President Donald Trump's claim that Blinken himself wanted to launch military operations against Iran while in the White House.
The Hill reports this.
"I've heard that today Blinken made a statement that he should have done it. Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. Blinken is Biden's guy I guess. Who the hell knows who he is. But he came out with the statement that they should have done it, they made a mistake," Trump said during a speech to Republican members of Congress on March 25.
Blinken responded by posting a lengthy post on the social network X, in which he denied making such a statement, citing excerpts of his past comments to the press about US-Iran relations while working under former President Joe Biden.
"Donald Trump cited me as supporting his attack on Iran and expressing regret we didn't do it during the Biden Administration. Except I didn't," he said.
The Trump Administration launched joint strikes on Iran with Israel in late February after the nuclear talks collapsed. Trump was trying to strike a new deal after scrapping the existing deal during his first term, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed under Barack Obama. Blinken wondered what would have happened if Trump had just left the JCPOA in place.
"When the JCPOA expired, it could be extended or renegotiated, as with most arms control agreements. If Iran refused, the U.S. would still retain the military option, with a lot more information about Iran's program, because of the most intrusive inspections ever," he said.
Trump also claimed that a certain "former president" told him he regretted that his administration had not bombed Iran. However, aides to all living former presidents have denied discussing ongoing military operations with the President.
Meanwhile, Blinken criticized the economic fallout from the ongoing U.S.-Iran standoff in the Strait of Hormuz in his op-ed. Iranian counterattacks in the Strait of Hormuz have effectively shut down the flow of oil, sending global energy prices soaring.
"The failure to anticipate and prepare for Iran weaponizing the Strait of Hormuz puts us literally at the bottom of the barrel," Blinken wrote.
"Markets (oil, LNG, stocks, bonds, fertilizer, helium) and munitions (offensive and defensive) will dictate when President Trump feels compelled to declare victory and walk away, but with Iran controlling the Strait. Maybe a negotiation can fix that, but with what concessions to Iran? Or we can double down, at huge risk," the former Biden Administration official continued.
The former Secretary of State also mentioned the human toll of these military operations.
"So no, I would not have done it. For the record," Blinken concluded his series of posts on Thursday.