Israel
Trump warns of harder line on Iran as Netanyahu call details emerge
By Jewish Life Staff, . Jewish Life.
President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that Iran dominated his most recent phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he warned that tougher military action remained an option if negotiations collapse. The exchange came less than 24 hours before Israel's elections, adding a diplomatic backdrop to an already charged political moment.
What Trump said about Iran
Speaking at a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, Trump described the call as a "very good talk" and said he was holding back from further strikes to limit casualties. "The only reason why I'm not finished with Iran is I want to be nice. I want to try and save all those lives if I can," he said, according to JNS. "But at some point we're going to have to give them the hammer."
Trump said US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was working toward an agreement with Tehran, expressing confidence that Witkoff would succeed, but adding that failure would mean pursuing "a little bit tougher way." He also noted that much of Iran's military capability had already been destroyed, the report said.
Haaretz reported that Trump and Netanyahu are divided on timing: Trump is said to be seeking to give negotiations a chance, while Netanyahu pressed for an imminent strike. Trump declined to elaborate on the substance of the call beyond confirming Iran was discussed.
Iran's response
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei flatly rejected one reported element of a possible deal. Transferring uranium enriched to 60% to a third country was "not on the table," he said, according to the state-affiliated ISNA news agency as cited by JNS. "No such proposal is under consideration."
Baghaei added that Washington would need to lift its maritime blockade and meet Tehran's conditions before any agreement could be reached, and he said the process had become "prolonged" because of US conduct.
On the question of a letter sent by US Vice President JD Vance to Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, Baghaei said it did not represent a new diplomatic initiative. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to Al Jazeera on Saturday, called Washington's outreach "a positive step" but warned that if the letter's purpose was to create divisions within Iran's leadership, "it would be yet another mistake to add to its previous ones." Araghchi said Iran's leadership was reviewing Vance's letter but that no meeting with US officials was planned at that stage, JNS reported.
The endorsement question
Also on Monday, Trump denied that Netanyahu had asked him for a second public endorsement ahead of the Israeli vote. Boarding Air Force One en route to a campaign rally in Mississippi, Trump told reporters: "I put out both endorsements. I put out both," and said he believed Netanyahu had done "a very good job as prime minister under very trying conditions."
That account contradicts what US officials told The Jerusalem Post: that Netanyahu had been making intensive efforts to persuade Trump to issue another statement of support after an initial endorsement produced little movement in the polls. Axios also reported, according to the Post, that Netanyahu had spoken with Trump twice within three days, suggested possible wording for additional endorsements, and asked Trump to speak with Israeli journalists to reinforce his backing. Netanyahu's Likud party denied that the prime minister had requested any endorsement.
Sources
1. Trump says Netanyahu call covered Iran, warns of more strikes, jns.org
2. Trump denies discussing Netanyahu request for another endorsement: 'I never spoke about it', jpost.com
3. Netanyahu and Trump reportedly divided on resuming Iran strikes after midterms, haaretz.com