WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump urged Iran Friday to make a deal or face "even more brutal" attacks by Israel, as Washington said it was helping its key ally defend itself against Iranian retaliation.
But Trump also kept the door open for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program, as the president who boasted he had "no wars" in his first term tries to avoid getting dragged into one in his second.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday, a White House official told AFP. He said earlier that Israel had let him know in advance about its strikes on Iran's military top brass and nuclear facilities.
After Iran launched barrages of ballistic missiles on Friday, the United States was "assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel," two US officials told AFP, without giving detail on the extent of Washington's role.
The US president also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who both stressed the need for dialogue. He also reportedly spoke to Saudi and Qatari leaders.
Trump attended a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room as his team worked on the crisis. An aide posted a black and white picture of a grim-faced, purse-lipped Trump striding through the West Wing.
But the flurry of meetings and diplomatic calls came as Trump trod a tightrope between backing Israel and seeking the nuclear deal he promised he could reach with Iran.
Israel struck Iran just hours after Trump publicly urged Netanyahu to hold off on an attack, with the first missiles landing as the US president hosted a picnic for lawmakers on the White House South Lawn.
"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
'Excellent'
"Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left... JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," he said.
Trump said that he "gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal."
But in a series of calls with US media later, he wavered between backing Israel's "excellent" strikes and calling for a return to the negotiating table.
"I think it's been excellent," ABC News quoted him as saying about Israel's offensive. "And there's more to come. A lot more."
Then shortly afterwards he stressed the possibility of a second chance, in an interview with NBC: "They missed the opportunity to make a deal. Now, they may have another opportunity. We'll see."
Trump also gave mixed signals about the extent of US involvement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Thursday that the United States was "not involved" in the strikes and warned Iran not to retaliate against any US forces in the region.
Trump, however, said on Truth Social on Friday that Israel had acted because a 60-day deadline that he had set for Iran had run out, implying that the two acted in concert.
He also boasted about the "finest" US equipment that Israel had used -- a day before a huge parade in Washington, on Trump's 79th birthday, featuring US aircraft and tanks.
Trump earlier told Fox News he had been aware of the Israeli strikes before they happened, and stressed that Tehran "cannot have a nuclear bomb."
During Trump's first term, he pulled the United States out of a landmark agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
The United States and Iran have had several rounds of talks since Trump returned to the White House, but after initially striking an optimistic tone, the discussions have foundered in recent days.
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