Trump Speaks With Netanyahu on Iran
The Wall Street Journal reports the phone call as the US prepares to resume bombing Iran, with Gulf officials saying strikes could come as early as November 4th, the day after the midterms, and Rubio saying no decision has been made
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday morning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the call, as Washington prepares to restart bombing in Iran. The contents of the conversation were not disclosed, and the Journal described it as Trump checking in with a key ally.
The call came days after Trump met his top military commanders at the White House about options for resuming major combat operations.
Fox News reported on Friday that the top US commander in the Middle East briefed him alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. Later on Saturday, Trump told reporters in Palm Beach that the US still needs to deal with up to two more targets in Iran, including the suspected underground nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain, and that it can do so in 10 minutes. Earlier on Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Atlanta that Trump has not made a decision on new strikes, that diplomacy with Iran continues, and that he prefers a diplomatic solution. Rubio declined to discuss contingency plans.
The timing is tied to the November 3 midterm elections. MSNOW reported on Saturday, citing three senior Gulf Arab officials, that Washington has warned Gulf allies to prepare for a possible new round of strikes as early as November 4, according to The US Local Media. The media reported that the US has not struck Iran since September 1 and that Trump has pledged to refrain from further attacks until after the vote. The Journal reported last week that the US told several Gulf states to prepare for a short, intense campaign after the election. The Journal noted that the unpopular war has contributed to higher fuel prices and has been a drag on Republican enthusiasm as Trump makes a final push to motivate voters.
Netanyahu has been the loudest voice for resuming strikes. The Journal reported last week that he has pushed for a return to attacks in hopes of degrading Iran and ultimately toppling the regime. Two US officials and an Israeli security source told CNN that US officials asked him to wait until Washington is ready for joint operations. The two leaders have a history of such calls. Axios and Reuters reported that Netanyahu spoke with Trump on February 23, five days before the US-Israeli strikes began on February 28, and Axios said the two spoke 15 times in the two months before the war. In May, Axios and CNN reported tense calls in which Netanyahu urged Trump to resume strikes and Trump chose to give diplomacy more time.
Netanyahu now faces uncertainty at home. Final results published on Friday gave his bloc 53 seats, short of the 61 needed for a majority, and the Journal said Israel appears headed toward weeks or months of negotiations over who will serve as prime minister. He remains in office as caretaker while the talks proceed.
Tehran is sending mixed signals. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran had studied the letter from US Vice President JD Vance and called the US attempt to open dialogue a positive step. Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said the tone of the letter had changed completely, and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that any attack would draw an immediate and geographically unrestricted response, Reuters reported.
Whether Trump orders strikes will become clear within days, once the votes of November 3 are counted.