Trump would rather bankrupt Iran than bomb it, US envoy to Israel says

US President Donald Trump favors financially crippling Iran over military intervention to address its nuclear ambitions and regional activities, according to Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel.

In a podcast interview, Huckabee said he hoped for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran situation, saying: "I'd love to see a diplomatic solution to the Iranian situation. Nothing would thrill me more. And I think the president is pushing for that because he really is a president of peace."

Huckabee added that “Trump has said repeatedly Iran will never have a nuclear device. They must have a total dismantlement of their nuclear program. What they must do is end enrichment of all kinds. Those are his words. Those are his doctrines."

The ambassador said Trump prefers economic measures, adding: "The president would rather bankrupt them than bomb them. That’s his view. It would be better to crush them financially than it would be to crush them militarily."

Huckabee also described Iran as the primary driver of regional instability, saying that groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are "empowered by Iran."

"That’s where they get a lot of their hardware. It is where they get a lot of their philosophical fanaticism. And it is also where they get most of their funding."