U.S. President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their telephone conversation on Monday that Israel does not have a “green light” to strike Iran and urged him to take the military option off the table in light of ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran. In response, Netanyahu warned Trump that the Iranians were "deceiving" both the international community and the United States, seeking only to buy time.
Speaking about the conversation later that day, Trump said: "We talked about a lot of issues, and the conversation was excellent. We'll see what happens," adding: "We're doing a lot of work on Iran right now," Trump said at an economic event at the White House. "It's tough ... They're great negotiators."
However, leaked details suggest the call was tense—both regarding Iran and the ongoing war in Gaza. Trump reportedly pressed Netanyahu to work toward ending the Gaza conflict, saying it had “run its course.” He emphasized that ending the war would aid both the talks with Iran and efforts to advance normalization with Saudi Arabia. “Trump’s message was: wrap it up. Don’t let the war drag on,” said a source familiar with the call.
On Iran, Trump offered no breakthrough. Netanyahu argued that Tehran was “playing” the U.S. and that talks should stop. Trump replied, “Take the strike off the agenda. It doesn’t help the negotiations. I want to exhaust the diplomatic track, even if they’re tough. I know how to talk to them.”
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The two agreed that Mossad chief David Barnea and Minister Ron Dermer would meet with mediator Steve Witkoff ahead of the sixth round of nuclear talks with Iran, and would be kept informed. Israel pledged there would be no surprises.
Earlier, Trump said Iran had become “much more aggressive” in talks with the U.S. “Iran is behaving very differently in negotiations than it was just a few days ago,” he told Fox News. “They’re much more aggressive. It surprises me, it disappoints me—but we’re supposed to meet again tomorrow.” Despite his comments, Iranian officials said the next round of talks would not begin until Sunday. As with previous rounds, the discussions will be hosted by Oman, which is mediating between the sides.
In his Fox News interview, Trump identified uranium enrichment as one of the key obstacles to a new deal and issued a warning to Tehran: “They’re asking for things that can’t be done. They won’t give up what they need to give up. They’re pushing for enrichment—we can’t allow enrichment. What we want is exactly the opposite. Right now, they’re not there. I hate to say it, because the alternative is very bad—but they’re not there.”
Meanwhile, U.S. CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla, who oversees American forces in the Middle East, said the military had presented Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with “a range of options” for military action in Iran should the talks fail to yield an agreement.
Iran announced Monday that it would submit a counterproposal to the terms set by the U.S. for a renewed nuclear deal. It reiterated its refusal to give up its uranium enrichment capability, which Washington has called a “red line.” When asked whether an Iranian counteroffer had been received, Trump said the U.S. would wait until the upcoming round of talks, which he said was expected later this week.
In a statement, Iranian lawmakers accused the U.S. and Israel of trying to sabotage the negotiations and “lay traps” for Tehran. “The U.S. is not serious at all about negotiations. Its goal in the talks is to impose its demands and it is taking hostile positions that completely contradict the Iranian people’s inalienable rights,” the statement read.