Trump says he’s not inclined to urge Israel to stop attacking Iran while it’s ‘winning’

By Jacob Magid

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20 June 2025, 11:18 pm Edit

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on June 20, 2025. (Mandel NGAN / AFP)

US President Donald Trump indicates that he doesn’t want to ask Israel to halt its strikes against Iran, despite Tehran’s foreign minister arguing that such a halt would be necessary in order for negotiations to succeed.

“I think it’s very hard to make that request right now,” Trump tells reporters. “If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do that [than] if somebody’s losing. But we’re ready, willing and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran.”

“Israel is doing well, in terms of war, and… Iran is doing less well. It’s a little bit hard to get somebody to stop,” he adds.