Tense Atmosphere in Trump-Netanyahu Call Reveals Differences on US-Iran War

A U.S. official told CNN that U.S. President Trump had a tense conversation yesterday with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, reflecting their divergent views on how to advance the U.S.-Iran war.

This was not the first conversation between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days. The official stated that when the two leaders spoke on the 17th, Trump had indicated he might proceed with a new wave of targeted attacks against Iran early this week.

As CNN previously reported, this operation was expected to be given a new name, 'Operation Sledgehammer.'

But about 24 hours after that initial conversation, Trump announced that he would suspend the airstrikes planned for the 19th, at the request of Persian Gulf allies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. officials and a source familiar with the matter said that in the following days, the Gulf nations have been in close contact with the White House and Pakistani mediators, working to create a framework to further diplomatic negotiations.

Regarding the efforts to secure a deal, Trump told reporters this morning, 'We're at the final stages on the Iran issue. We will see what happens.'

He continued, 'Either a deal will be reached, or we will take some rather unpleasant measures, but hopefully that won't happen.'

The ongoing negotiations have frustrated the Israeli prime minister, who has long advocated for a more aggressive approach in dealing with Tehran. According to Trump administration officials and Israeli sources, Netanyahu believes a delay only benefits the Iranians.

U.S. officials said Netanyahu expressed his disappointment yesterday, telling Trump that he believed delaying the expected attack was a mistake and that Trump should have proceeded as planned.

A knowledgeable Israeli source said that during the hour-long call, Netanyahu urged the resumption of military action. An Israeli official stated that the disagreement between the two was evident, with Trump wanting to see if a deal could be reached, while Netanyahu expected something else.

The news outlet Axios was the first to report on the tense phone call.

Another Israeli source told CNN that the concern in Israel after yesterday's call has spread to officials around Netanyahu.

This source said that there is a strong desire among senior Israeli government officials to restart military action and growing frustration with Trump's continued tolerance for what they call Iran's diplomatic stalling.

However, sources familiar with the matter revealed that Netanyahu's dissatisfaction with the U.S. approach, particularly Trump's tendency to issue verbal threats but ultimately hit the brakes, is not new.

When asked today what he said to Netanyahu the previous night, Trump hinted that he holds the upper hand.

'He'll do anything I want him to do,' Trump said.