Netanyahu Presses Trump for Renewed Iran Strikes After Midterms, Axios Reports

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone about where Washington's dealings with Iran stand and whether military operations should resume. According to a report by Axios, Netanyahu used the call to press for fresh strikes on Iran immediately after Tuesday's US midterm elections. Trump, the same report said, would rather let diplomacy run a while longer.

Axios relied on two sources, one Israeli and one American. The Israeli source called the conversation "tough"; the American source described it as "direct." Neither the White House nor the prime minister's office would comment on the call. Speaking to reporters in Iowa on Sunday, Trump gave a softer account. He said he had a "very good talk" with Netanyahu and confirmed that Iran was among the topics, but he offered nothing more.

Trump's own remarks on Saturday sketched a two-track approach. He said negotiations with Iran were "going fine" and that he was not "in much of a hurry." He said Tehran wants a deal but doubted it would hold, remarking, "They make a deal and then they back out." He also said one or two nuclear sites in Iran still had to be dealt with. Of the suspected underground facility at Pickaxe Mountain, he said the US could handle it in 10 minutes, that the plan exists, and that it could be done very quickly. The reporting describes Washington as seeking an agreement that could restart peace talks while keeping preparations going for a possible return to major combat operations after the elections.

The diplomatic channel has been active. Last week, Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's national security chief, about the possibility of restarting negotiations. It was the highest-level American outreach to Tehran in several months.

Qatar is serving as the go-between. Its mediators met Iranian officials on Sunday for a third consecutive day, trying to produce an arrangement that would allow direct talks between Washington and Tehran to resume. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said no agreement had been reached and that progress depended on the US answering questions Tehran had raised. In an interview shared on his Telegram channel, he said consultations with the mediators were continuing. "We are making every effort in this regard and hope that the other side will demonstrate enough rationality to choose diplomacy over other paths," he said. He added that Iran was prepared for both defence and diplomacy, depending on Washington's response.

On Saturday, Araghchi had said Iranian negotiators were in Qatar discussing a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US met several conditions. As AP reported, he stressed that no direct talks were taking place between Iran and the United States.

The next few days will show which track prevails. Watch whether strikes resume after the midterms, and whether Qatar's mediation brings back direct US-Iran talks and a reopened Strait of Hormuz.