WASHINGTON (VINnews) — President Donald Trump declared Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” while in the United States, a day after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration is exploring whether it has the legal authority to seek Netanyahu’s arrest if he visits New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump defended Netanyahu, praising his campaign against Iran and accusing Iran’s leadership of decades of supporting attacks that killed Americans. Trump argued that Iranian leaders — not Netanyahu — should face arrest and criticized previous U.S. presidents for failing to confront Iran sooner.

Trump’s comments followed an interview published Sunday by *The New York Times*, in which Mamdani said his administration is engaged in an “active conversation” with the city’s Law Department over whether New York has the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city. Mamdani said he believes Netanyahu “belongs in The Hague” but added that his administration “won’t be writing our own laws” and would act only within the law.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations, and neither Israel nor the United States is a member of the court.