By Reena Bhardwaj

Washington, DC [US], June 19 (ANI): Former Pentagon official and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, has said that US forces need to enter Iran and eradicate its nuclear program and said that it is a possibility that Pakistan could receive Iran's nuclear supplies after the cessation of hostilities. However, he called for not paying Pakistan for cooperation or for receiving Iranian nuclear-enriched material.

Speaking to ANI, Rubin called Iran and Pakistan 'competitors' despite the two nations cooperating sometimes. His remarks come amid the conflict between Israel and Iran that entered its seventh day on Thursday, while US President Donald Trump insists that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Rubin said that the US calling Pakistan an ally in fighting terrorism is 'not reality but a diplomatic rhetoric' and even recalled how former US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt termed former Soviet Union Prime Minister Joseph Stalin a close ally during the Second World War.

Asked about Trump and the US Central Command chief remarks, where they declared Pakistan a close ally of the US in tackling terrorism, Rubin responded, 'Remember that during World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt talked about Joseph Stalin as a close ally. This is diplomatic rhetoric. It's not reality. Everyone sees Pakistan for what it is, except perhaps for Donald Trump. So while Donald Trump and the commander of US Central Command may whisper sweet nothings into Pakistan's ear, it's because they want something from Pakistan. What I'm arguing is that nothing which we could gain from Pakistan is worth the price of having Pakistan as an ally.'

Asked further about the gain that the US could be seeking in terms of Pakistan, he said, 'When it comes to President Trump reaching out to Pakistan against the backdrop of the Israel-Iran conflict, what the United States position is now is that Iran needs to surrender its nuclear program completely. On one hand, this could be a Pakistani interest. I lived in Iran shortly after the 1998 Pakistan nuclear tests, and most Iranians at the time thought those tests were directed at Iran itself. Iran and Pakistan are competitors, even if sometimes they find themselves cooperating.'

'So, is it in Pakistan's interest for Iran to give up its nuclear program? Yes. President Trump is probably trying to make that case. If it's in Pakistan's own interest, however, we shouldn't pay Pakistan a single dollar for achieving what's in Pakistan's own interest. At the same time, if Iran's nuclear program is going to be eradicated, it may take infiltration of US forces, special forces, and we may be gaining permission for that. If we are going to truck out Iran's nuclear supplies following the conclusion of hostilities, those supplies need to go somewhere. And so perhaps there's some discussion that Pakistan could receive those supplies. Again, what sounds good in a situation room or foreign ministry boardroom, conference room, doesn't necessarily make sense in reality. There is no way that Pakistan should be paid for cooperation or should be the recipient of any Iranian nuclear enriched material,' he added.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) hosted Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House for a lunch meeting. He also confirmed that he discussed Iran with Asim Munir during their meeting at the White House.

Speaking to reporters following his meeting with Munir, Trump said Pakistan knows Iran 'very well' and they are not happy with anything.

When asked whether they discussed Iran, Trump said, 'Yeah, well, they know Iran very well, better than most. They're not happy about anything. It's not that they're bad with Israel. They know them both, actually, but they probably, maybe they know Iran better. But, they see what's going on, and he agreed with me.'

As Iran and Israel continue to trade strikes, US President Donald Trump held a situation room meeting on Wednesday to discuss US options, CNN reported.

On Thursday, Israel's Defence Forces (IDF) said that air force is carrying out a 'series of attacks' in Tehran and other parts of Iran. Earlier, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said air defence systems had been activated over Tehran.

On June 13, Israel launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion'.Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the 'Iranian threat to Israel's very survival' adding that the mission would continue 'for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.'

In response, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large-scale drone and missile operation 'Operation True Promise 3', targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres, Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported. The strikes were conducted in direct retaliation against Israeli 'aggression'. (ANI)