President Donald Trump says he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran while negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program were nearing a deal.
“Well, I’d like to be honest. Yes, I did,” Trump said at a press conference Wednesday, when asked whether he warned Netanyahu against disrupting the negotiations in a phone call last week. He added later that Israeli action — which he did not specify — would not be “appropriate” with diplomacy ongoing.
He said a deal would “save a lot of lives.”
In his comments, Trump did not directly speak of an Israeli attack, but repeatedly said that he preferred dismantling Iran’s nuclear program without bloodshed. His comments appear to confirm reporting in The New York Times Wednesday morning about tensions between Netanyahu and Trump over how to confront Iran, which has been weakened from prior exchanges of fire with Israel.
Like prior reporting, the Times story said Netanyahu has been pushing for an attack and — after being rebuffed by Trump — may choose to bomb Iran without American support, and with little advance warning to Washington. It is the latest wedge between Netanyahu and Trump, fellow right-wing leaders who were once seen as close allies but who now appear to be out of sync on a number of key issues.
Trump has called for an end to the war in Gaza; Netanyahu gave a fiery speech in parliament Wednesday claiming — contrary to a series of polls — that most Israelis support his push for “total victory” over Hamas. Trump cut a deal with the Houthis, a terror group in Yemen that has since bombed Israel several times. When Netanyahu visited the Oval Office last month, Trump declined to lift U.S. tariffs on Israel — and announced direct negotiations with Iran.
In an official statement, Netanyahu’s office called the Times article “fake news.” But now, the Iran talks are causing further friction. Trump has touted an announcement of progress toward a deal in the coming days — though Iran is insisting on the right to continue enriching uranium while the United States is reportedly insisting that Iran cease all enrichment. The talks are being led by Steve Witkoff, Trump’s chief negotiator who is also the American point person in negotiations over the Gaza war and the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Netanyahu waged a vehement, ubiquitous campaign a decade ago against the Iran nuclear deal inked by President Barack Obama. He has not gone public in the same way against Trump’s potential agreement. But he has said the only acceptable agreement would be one that sees forces “blow up the installations, dismantle all of the equipment, under American supervision and carried out by America.”
Trump said in the press conference Wednesday that he would like to see Iran’s nuclear facilities dismantled — but without anyone being killed. Without using the word “attack,” he implied that he suggested to Netanyahu not to strike Iran.
“It’s not a warning. I said, I don’t think it’s appropriate,” Trump said. “I just said, I don’t think it’s appropriate. We’re having very good discussions with them and, I said, I don’t think it’s appropriate right now.”
He added, “We can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab but nobody’s going to be in the lab as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up, right? Two ways of doing it. Yeah, I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution.”
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