Trump says a former president privately supported the Iran war

President Trump said Monday there is a former U.S. president who privately expressed support for military action against Iran and said he wished he’d done it.

“It’s somebody that happens to like me, and I like that person,” Mr. Trump said from the Oval Office.

Mr. Trump made the claim during an extended question-and-answer session with reporters.

“That person said, ’I wish I did it,’” Mr. Trump said of his conversation with the former president. “I don’t want to get him into trouble.”

There are only four living ex-presidents, so the options are narrow.

“Was it George W. Bush?” Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked.

“No,” Mr. Trump said.

“Bill Clinton?” the report asked.

“I don’t wanna say,” Mr. Trump said.

The president does not have warm relationships with former presidents Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden, both of whom he attacks frequently.

Mr. Trump decided to join forces with Israel and launch the operation against Iran on Feb. 28 because he wanted to dismantle Iran’s missile program, stop it from getting a nuclear weapon and end Tehran’s support for terrorism in the Middle East.

Iran retaliated by striking oil-rich Gulf countries and closing down the Strait of Hormuz, a key channel for tankers carrying oil and other products.

Mr. Trump has toggled between calling the war effort ahead of schedule and saying the U.S. military must finish the job in Iran.

“It’ll be soon, it won’t be long. And we’re going to have a much safer world when it is wrapped up,” Mr. Trump said.

He has defended his decision to strike by saying Iran was seeking a nuclear weapon and planned to strike Israel and, eventually, the U.S.

“You want to see the stock market go down?” Mr. Trump said. “Start letting them hit you with nukes.”

The war caught some Americans off guard after Mr. Trump campaigned on ending foreign entanglements, particularly in the Middle East.

Vice President J.D. Vance said Monday he supports the war, pushing back on reports of a break between himself and Mr. Trump.