Trump and Netanyahu diverge on military operation against Iran - CNN
Kyiv • UNN
Trump postponed strikes on Iran in favor of diplomacy at the request of allies. Netanyahu criticized this decision and demands the immediate resumption of attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump held a tense conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which revealed their differing views on how to proceed with the war against Iran. This was reported by CNN, citing an unnamed American official, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that this was not their first conversation in recent days—for instance, when the two leaders spoke on Sunday, Trump indicated that he would likely continue new targeted attacks on Iran early in the week.
But approximately 24 hours after that first conversation, Trump announced he was halting the strikes, which he said had been planned for Tuesday, at the request of Gulf allies: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Since then, the Gulf nations have been in close contact with the White House and Pakistani mediators, working on a framework that could facilitate diplomatic negotiations,
According to the publication's sources in the U.S. and Israel, the ongoing negotiations have frustrated the Israeli Prime Minister, who has long advocated for a more aggressive approach in relations with Tehran: Netanyahu argued that the delay only benefits the Iranians.
Netanyahu expressed his frustration on Tuesday, telling Trump that he believed postponing the expected attacks was a mistake and that the president should proceed with the plan as scheduled,
At the same time, an Israeli source told the publication that Netanyahu is skeptical that the negotiations will lead to a deal, particularly because to date, Iran refuses to give up its enriched uranium.
During the hour-long conversation, Netanyahu insisted on resuming military actions. The divergence was evident: Trump wants to see if a deal can be reached, but Netanyahu expected something else,
Trump presented with military options regarding Iran - Axios20.05.26, 12:52 • 3728 views
The authors add that on Thursday, when asked by journalists whether Iran could keep its highly enriched uranium, Trump replied: "We're going to get the highly enriched uranium. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it."
"Within the upper echelons of the Israeli government, there is a strong desire to resume military actions, and there is growing frustration that Trump continues to allow what they call Iran's diplomatic stalling. But Netanyahu's frustration with the U.S. position—and specifically with Trump's threats that ultimately led to the pause—is not entirely new. U.S. officials have acknowledged in the past that U.S. and Israeli goals regarding the war differ," the publication concludes.
Recall
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the United States is ready to continue attacks on Tehran if Iran does not agree to a peace deal, but suggested waiting a few days to "get the right answers."