Trump says Iran 'is not winning this war,' should return to talks 'immediately'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran is on the losing end of an ongoing spate of attacks between it and Israel, maintaining Tehran should return to negotiations "immediately."

Trump acknowledged that the ongoing hostilities are "painful for both parties," but maintained that "Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk. And they should talk immediately, before it's too late."

"We've always supported Israel. We have, for a long period of time, strongly, and Israel is doing very well right now," he told reporters in Canada as he sat down for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Asked what it would take for the US to get militarily involved in the hostilities, Trump said: "I don't want to talk about that."

Regional tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Iranian missile attacks since Friday. Iran, for its part, said at least 224 people have been killed and over 1,000 others wounded in the Israeli assault.