'Israel, Middle East wouldn't exist: Trump claims he stopped Iran's nuclear threat

US president Donald Trump has claimed that Israel and the wider Middle East would not exist today had he not prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, as Washington weighs the possibility of resuming military operations against Tehran. The development comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.On Friday, in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump asserted that his intervention had prevented a threat to the region's survival."Israel and, in fact, the entire Middle East, WOULD NOT EXIST TODAY if I did not stop Iran from having a Nuclear Weapon. Nobody wants to say that, but everybody knows it’s true!" he wrote.The remarks come as Trump considers whether to authorise fresh military strikes against Iran.