Netanyahu pardon request not discussed with Trump: Israeli president’s office
The office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog has issued a statement saying it has not had any conversations with Trump since the US president sent a request for Netanyahu to be pardoned for bribery and corruption charges.
The statement came shortly after Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago that he had spoken to Herzog and a pardon to end Netanyahu’s five-year trial was “on its way”. Herzog had previously said he was reviewing legal opinions before responding to Trump’s request.
Trump shares post falsely claiming Obama funded Iran’s nuclear programme
Donald Trump shared a falsehood-filled post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, claiming that former US President Barack Obama gave Iran $220bn to build nuclear weapons.
That claim runs contrary to statements made by Trump’s own intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, earlier this year. Gabbard testified to Congress in June that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
But Trump has sought to blame his Democratic counterparts, including Obama, for failing to take a harder line on Iran. The Obama administration helped negotiate a 2015 Iran nuclear deal that saw the US lift sanctions against Iran, in exchange for stern limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme. The agreement included releasing Iranian assets that had been frozen in the US under the sanctions. The Iranian funds amounted to around $50bn, after the payment of foreign debts.
Trump’s post on Sunday also included a claim that Iran was close to having six nuclear bombs and had intercontinental ballistic missiles to destroy Israel and five US cities. There is no credible assessment by anyone, including Israel, that Iran ever had missiles that could reach US territory.
The post also promoted the great replacement theory, a racist conspiracy theory often promoted by white nationalists to spread fear that local populations are being intentionally replaced by non-white foreigners.
“Democrats wanted to replace you with uneducated Mexicans who would be easier to enslave,” the post said.
Tucker Carlson on Netanyahu visit: ‘This game has to end’
Influential right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson has cited a report from Axios saying that many of Trump’s aides have grown frustrated with Netanyahu over his reluctance to move to the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire.
“At some point, this game has to end,” Carlson wrote in his newsletter.
“How long will Netanyahu be allowed to parade into our country like he owns the place and demand our military fight his wars? For the sake of the United States and the West, we hope the president begins to agree with his team soon.”
The commentator is an influential figure for the Trump base and was thought to be close to the US president. But in recent months, he has grown vocally critical of pro-Israel policies that have reportedly triggered infighting with some of Trump’s allies.
