Trump says the US is ready to defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates

The United States is ready to defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates against an attack on its nuclear facilities. US President Donald Trump said this in a commentary to Fox News.

He said he knew that Israel was going to strike Iran before the strikes took place.

"Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and we hope to return to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in the leadership who will not return," the US president said.

The Trump administration has reached out to at least one key ally in the Middle East to confirm that strikes will be carried out, but the US did not participate in the attack.

The US president is monitoring possible retaliatory actions. The Central Command of the US Armed Forces is on high alert.

Trump noted that the United States is ready to defend both itself and Israel in the event of an Iranian response. At the same time, he expressed hope that Tehran would return to negotiations.

• On June 13, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that it had carried out a "preemptive strike" against Iran's nuclear program, to prevent Tehran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction.
• The attack killed several of Iran's top military officials.
• Rubio said the U.S. is not involved in strikes on Iran.