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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been calling U.S. President Donald Trump “every day” to urge him to resume military action against Iran, while regional leaders are pressing Washington to prioritize diplomacy, the Financial Times reported Monday.
“Netanyahu calls him every day [to urge him to resume the war],” a person briefed on the discussions told the newspaper, adding that figures inside and outside the White House who oppose renewed fighting have sought to counter that pressure.
Another person familiar with the situation in Israel said Netanyahu wants military action against Iran to resume but that there is not currently a coordinated push to persuade Trump.
Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister following Israel’s inconclusive elections and has called for renewed U.S.-Israeli strikes aimed at forcing the collapse of Iran’s government.
Trump said Monday there was “positive momentum” toward ending the nearly nine-month conflict and that renewed U.S. attacks on Iran now appeared “quite unlikely.”
His comments followed talks with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
A diplomat briefed on the meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and the Qatari prime minister said there was agreement that “diplomacy is the preferred way forward to get a deal.”
According to the Financial Times, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have all urged Trump in recent days to give diplomacy more time.
Regional leaders fear renewed fighting could trigger a broader Iranian response and deepen instability across the Middle East.
Mediators have been working to break a deadlock between Washington and Tehran over an interim agreement based on a seven-day proposal Iran presented in September.
Under the proposal described by the Financial Times, Iran would allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifted its blockade on Iranian ports, allowed oil exports and released some frozen assets, before talks on a final agreement resumed.
Disagreements remain over the sequencing of those measures and Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Al Jazeera reported Monday that talks involving the Qatari prime minister, Trump and Vance had made “good progress.”
An unnamed Iranian official told Fars News Agency that reports of an agreement to reopen Hormuz in exchange for $8 billion in frozen assets were false, saying Tehran would negotiate only under conditions including lifting sanctions and the naval blockade, releasing frozen assets and ending the war.
Iran has warned it would respond to renewed attacks and could expand the conflict beyond the Middle East.
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. A memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities was reached in July, but fighting later resumed as diplomatic efforts stalled.
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