During a firm phone exchange on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged U.S. President Donald Trump to back fresh strikes against Iran. While Trump characterized the discussion positively, he continues balancing military options, including plans targeting a suspected underground nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain, with active diplomatic channels. Meanwhile, high-level outreach continues through backchannels, including a letter sent by U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei.
Key points
Disagreements persist between Washington and Israel regarding the timing of military acti…: Disagreements persist between Washington and Israel regarding the timing of military action versus extended diplomatic negotiations with Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that no agreement has been reached and emp…: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that no agreement has been reached and emphasized Iran is prepared for defense or diplomacy.
The United States continues to pursue a dual-track strategy combining high-level outreach…: The United States continues to pursue a dual-track strategy combining high-level outreach with active consideration of strategic military strikes.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone conversation on Saturday to discuss Washington's negotiations with Iran and the possibility of resuming military operations, with Netanyahu pressing for fresh strikes after Tuesday's US midterm elections, according to a report by Axios.
The call came amid differences over the approach towards Tehran, with the Israeli prime minister urging immediate military action after the elections, while Trump wants to allow diplomatic efforts to continue for now, Axios reported, citing one Israeli and one US source.
An Israeli source described the conversation as "tough", while a US source called it "direct".
However, Trump told reporters in Iowa on Sunday that he had a "very good talk" with Netanyahu and confirmed that Iran was among the subjects discussed, without giving further details.
The White House and the Israeli prime minister's office declined to comment on the call.
Trump keeps diplomatic and military options open
Trump is pursuing parallel diplomatic and military approaches, seeking an agreement that could restart peace talks with Iran while keeping preparations underway for a possible…
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