Trump and Netanyahu Discuss Iran Ahead of November 3 Election as Efforts to Resume Talks Continue
Key Facts
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call on Saturday about U.S. negotiations with Iran and how soon fighting could resume, according to an Israeli source and a U.S. source cited by Axios. The Israeli source described the call as "difficult," while the U.S. source said it was "direct." The White House and the Israeli prime minister's office declined to comment on the call. Axios cited its sources as saying Netanyahu pressed for a strike on Iran immediately after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections. Trump, by contrast, currently wants to let negotiations take their course, alongside preparations for the possibility of resuming large-scale combat operations after the election.
The account of Israeli pressure is not official confirmation; Axios relied on two unnamed sources, one Israeli and one American. This comes as Trump, according to the report, has made no officially documented statement during the call about the timing of any military action. Trump told reporters on Saturday that negotiations with Iran were "going well" and that he was "in no great hurry." He added that the Iranians could not be trusted because they make a deal and then back out of it. His public remarks show him sticking with negotiations, while the possibility of renewed fighting remains in Axios's account of U.S. preparations.
Discussing military options, Trump said the United States still needed to deal with "one or two nuclear sites" in Iran. He named Mount Beqaa and said carrying this out could take "10 minutes." His statement specifies one or two sites and does not establish that several identified sites were included in targeting plans. He also indicated that it was "planned," according to Axios's account of his remarks to reporters. The statement came as negotiations and Qatari mediation continued, while Washington and Tehran considered the possibility of resuming talks.
Axios describes Trump's policy as proceeding on two parallel tracks: trying to reach a deal that would restart peace talks, and preparing for the possibility of resuming large-scale combat operations after the midterm elections. On the diplomatic track, Vice President J.D. Vance sent a message last week to Iranian national security official Mohsen Rezaei about the possibility of resuming negotiations. The report said the message was the highest-level U.S. communication with Iran in several months. Meanwhile, Qatari mediators met Iranian officials on Sunday for the third consecutive day. Their efforts focused on reaching a deal to restart direct talks between the United States and Iran.
Sunday's meetings followed talks in Tehran on Friday between Iranian and Qatari envoys that lasted more than 12 hours, according to an official familiar with the discussions cited by Reuters via Arab News. The official said coordination was in regular contact with Washington. Reuters, via MarketScreener, reported that Qatari mediators continued consultations as negotiators had not reached a final outcome on the proposal under consideration. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was ready for "defense and diplomacy," and that the outcome of the efforts depended on U.S. responses to Iranian questions. He added that no direct talks with Washington were taking place.
The Iranian-Qatari proposal, according to Araghchi as quoted by Reuters via MarketScreener, calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz within two days of reaching a possible agreement with Washington. In a separate statement, Araghchi said Qatari mediators' consultations were continuing and that Tehran was ready for defense and diplomacy. Reuters quoted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying Trump had not decided whether to launch new strikes on Iran, but preferred a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. On the security front, a Reuters report said Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had ordered the armed forces to prepare to respond to any attacks. The Iranian army later announced steps to strengthen its readiness.
The parallel diplomatic and military moves put both sides up against the U.S. midterm elections on November 3. Trump had said in an earlier statement in October that the United States would not attack Iran before the election and that Washington was holding productive discussions with Tehran. Reuters also reported on October 8 that 60% of Americans, including a quarter of Republicans, disapproved of his handling of Iran. Amid economic pressure, Reuters reported that Iran's annual inflation reached 73.6% in September. It also said Iran's seaborne crude oil exports fell to zero in the second week of September, from an average of 230,000 barrels per day during the first two weeks of the month.