WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran. The confirmation came as Clash Report, summarizing an Axios report, said Netanyahu pressed Trump to resume strikes on Iran immediately after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Axios, citing one Israeli source and one U.S. source, reported that the two leaders spoke by phone on Saturday. They discussed the state of U.S. negotiations with Iran and how quickly to return to combat, according to the report.
The Israeli source called the call “tough.” The U.S. source described it as “direct.” Netanyahu is concerned about Trump’s strategy of letting negotiations play out for now, according to Axios.
Trump gave a warmer account of the tone when reporters asked him on Sunday. “Just had a very good talk with him. We had a very good talk,” he said. Asked whether Iran was among the subjects they discussed, Trump replied, “I did. Yeah, I did.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported the call, but did not describe what was said. Neither the White House nor the Israeli prime minister’s office commented on the Axios account.
Talks and strike planning at the same time
Trump told reporters on Saturday that talks with Iran were “going fine” and that he was not “in much of a hurry.” The Iranians “are not very reliable,” he said, and often back out of deals.
He also pointed to Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected nuclear site built into a mountain. The United States still has to “take care” of one or two nuclear sites in Iran, Trump said. “We can do that in 10 minutes,” he said, adding, “We have that planned.”
The call followed White House talks with senior commanders on strike options, according to Axios. In that account, Trump is pursuing two tracks at once: a deal to restart peace talks, and preparations for a possible return to major combat after the midterms.
Diplomacy was moving on other tracks, too. Vice President JD Vance wrote last week to Iran’s national security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, about restarting talks, Axios reported. Qatari mediators met Iranian officials on Sunday for a third straight day.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Sunday that there is no agreement yet. A deal depends on the United States answering Iran’s questions, he said. Iran hopes the other side will “choose diplomacy over other paths,” he added.
In video remarks shared on Oct. 28, Netanyahu said Israel has “a once-in-a-lifetime historic opportunity.” He spoke of acting “together with President Trump” against the Iranian threat. Axios also reported that Trump may be more inclined to hit Iran if Republicans lose ground in the midterms.
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