Reuters:

After months of urging Israel not to strike Iran while he worked toward a nuclear deal, President Donald Trump told Reuters in a phone interview on Friday that he and his team had known the attacks were coming - and still saw room for an accord.

"We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out," Trump said.

"They can still work out a deal, however, it’s not too late," he added.

Trump had repeatedly pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay an Israeli attack to give diplomacy more time, though the president himself had threatened to bomb the Gulf nation if nuclear talks failed.

Trump's shifting stance around the Israeli strikes, which he called "excellent" and "very successful" in a series of media interviews on Friday, offered one of the most striking examples yet of how he conducts high-stakes negotiations through both frank public rhetoric and behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

The U.S. president offered support for Israel's decision to launch a series of devastating raids in Iran, showing a willingness to embrace the use of military force to set back Tehran's nuclear program. In contrast, some allies stressed the need for restraint.

Asked if the U.S. would support Israel against Iranian counterattacks, Trump said he supported Israel. He said he was not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel's strikes but did not elaborate.

“We’ve been very close to Israel. We’re their number one ally by far," Trump told Reuters, adding, "We'll see what happens."

Later on Friday, two U.S. officials said the U.S. military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed toward Israel.

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