Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday evening with U.S. President Donald Trump amid reports that fighting with Iran could resume this week. The conversation lasted more than half an hour and ended shortly before the start of a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet.
The two discussed Iran, and Trump updated Netanyahu on his visit to China. An Israeli official told ynet that the question of a strike on Iran remains unresolved and that the president still has to make a decision.
Trump's interview with Fox News
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“He needs to be at peace with the decision himself, and if he decides to resume the fighting, Israel will likely be asked to join,” the official said.
Earlier Sunday, Fox News reported that “a renewal of fighting with Iran may be approaching due to Trump’s frustration with Iranian tactics and Tehran’s refusal to comply with his demand that it abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.”
According to intelligence officials operating in the Middle East who spoke with the network, “the prevailing assessment in Iran is that President Trump may turn to renewed military action, and Tehran is now deliberately pursuing a strategy of deception and delay in hopes that buying time will complicate any possible return to fighting.”
The intelligence officials said they believe the Iranian regime thinks it can stall developments and drag out the crisis for at least another two weeks, making it harder for Trump to resume the military campaign both politically and operationally.
On Saturday, Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image on his Truth Social platform with the caption, “The calm before the storm.” The post came after The New York Times reported that the United States and Israel are engaged in their most intensive preparations yet for renewed strikes against Iran since a ceasefire was agreed to last month.
According to the report, Trump’s senior advisers have drafted plans for a return to military strikes if he decides to break the deadlock through additional bombing, though he has not yet made a final decision on the next steps.
Shortly before leaving Beijing, Trump said Iran’s latest peace proposal was unacceptable.
“I looked at it, and if I don’t like the first sentence, I just throw it in the trash,” he said.
Amid the reports of a possible renewal of fighting, Pakistan’s interior minister met Saturday in Tehran with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Pakistani minister, whose country serves as the main mediator between the United States and Iran, said after the meeting: “Iran and Pakistan are closer today than ever before. Relations between Tehran and Islamabad are expected to continue developing and expanding.”
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Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
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The Iranian president said: “Cooperation between neighboring countries in preventing terrorists from exploiting their territories was an important step. Iran seeks to establish friendly relations with Islamic countries in the region. Unity among Islamic states will limit the intervention of international powers.”
Also attending the meeting was Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who said: “Some regional governments believed the presence of the United States would bring them security, but recent events have shown that this presence creates the conditions for insecurity.”
His deputy, Haji Babai, also spoke after the meeting and issued a warning: “If the enemy attacks our oil, no country in the world will be able to access oil in the region. The Strait of Hormuz is more important to us than an atomic bomb.”
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates Defense Ministry said three drones launched toward the country were intercepted. According to the statement, two drones were successfully intercepted while the third struck a generator outside the Barakah nuclear power plant complex in the Al Dhafra region.
The ministry said investigations were underway to determine the source of the attacks. It also reaffirmed its readiness “to address any threat and confront decisively any attempt to undermine the country’s security, thereby preserving its sovereignty, security and stability, and protecting its national interests and resources.”