Donald Trump has warned that Iran is waiting to make a "big" move due to the policies of President Joe Biden.
The former president said in an all-caps post to Truth Social on Friday that the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict would never have happened if not for the "rigged and stollen [sic]" presidential election of 2020, repeating the unsubstantiated claim that his defeat to Biden was caused by massive voter fraud.
The October 7 surprise attack by Iran-backed Islamist group Hamas was the deadliest Palestinian militant assault on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes on Gaza in history. As of Friday, at least 1,500 people had been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, with roughly 1,800 people killed in Gaza.
Trump wrote: "THE ATTACK ON ISRAEL WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, ZERO CHANCE, IF THE ELECTION OF 2020 WAS NOT RIGGED AND STOLLEN. IT SHOWS THE WORLD HOW IMPORTANT ELECTIONS ARE.
"IRAN WAS BROKE AND TALKING, NOW THEY ARE RICH AND WATCHING, WAITING TO MAKE THEIR MOVE, AND IT WILL BE A BIG ONE! HOW COULD CROOKED JOE BIDEN, THE WORST AND MOST INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN?"
Trump went on to accuse the Biden administration of being responsible for "unprecedented death and destruction," arguing that the region had been at peace due to his own administration's role in brokering the Abraham Accords.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Friday.
The Abraham Accords, agreements intended to normalize Israeli-Arab relations, were signed between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in September 2021. Israel signed additional agreements with Morocco and Sudan during the final months of the Trump administration.
The agreements have faced criticism for failing to ease Israeli-Palestinian tensions prior to the current conflict. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who helped in brokering the agreements, has also been under heavy fire over allegations that he used his role in Middle East diplomacy for personal financial gain.
Trump and other Republicans have criticized the Biden administration over a prisoner exchange deal that involved the release of $6 billion in frozen funds to Qatar, where it could be accessed by Iran for U.S.-monitored humanitarian purposes.
While some had claimed that the money was used by Iran to fund the attacks on Israel, White House officials said on Friday that Iran had not actually accessed any of the funds, with all of the money remaining in a Qatari bank account.
The U.S. and Qatari governments have also reportedly agreed to indefinitely block Iran from accessing the money amid the continuing conflict in Israel.
Iran has denied involvement in the attack on Israel, although Hamas representative Ahmed Abdulhadi told Newsweek earlier this week that the militant group had coordinated with Iran and Hezbollah—a Lebanese Islamist militant group backed by Iran—before and "during and after this battle at the highest level."
Trump has faced backlash this week for seemingly praising Hezbollah after it launched a rocket attack on Israel, saying during a speech in Florida on Wednesday night that the group was "very smart" for launching the assault.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi accused Trump of spreading anti-Israel "propaganda" and "nonsense" with the remark and his recent criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that the ex-president "obviously" cannot be relied on as an ally.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
