Trump says it's hard to ask Israel to stop Iran strikes

New York, June 21 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said that it will be difficult to request Israel stop its airstrikes in Iran, even as he pursues a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.

Trump made the remarks to reporters in New Jersey, where he attended a fundraiser at his golf course, Xinhua news agency reported quoting local media.

Trump also dismissed European efforts to engage diplomatically with Iran. "They didn't help... Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help on this one."

Earlier, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said she "can't speculate" on whether the Trump administration will press for a ceasefire between Iran and Israel to allow US-Iran nuclear talks to move forward.

"I'm not going to characterize what's happening now, or the reaction by the president or the secretary of state to what those negotiations might be," Bruce said at a news briefing Friday.

Meanwhile, The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has announced that over 35 missile storage and launch facilities in the Tiberias and Kermanshah areas of Iran have been destroyed in attacks conducted by more than 25 Israeli Air Force fighter jets on Friday morning.

"This morning, the Air Force completed a wave of attacks against military targets of the Iranian regime in areas such as Kermanshah and Tiberias in Iran, with precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Branch. As part of the wave of attacks, more than 25 fighter jets attacked more than 35 missile storage and launch facilities in the Tiberias and Kermanshah areas of Iran," the IDF said in a post on X.

The IDF also mentioned that the Israeli Air Force attacked several Iranian missile systems and radar installations in the areas of Isfahan and Tehran, which intended to target its aircraft and disrupt their operations.

--IANS

int/rs