Netanyahu Presses Trump To Strike Iran After U.S. Midterm Elections

Phone call, timing dispute

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone conversation on Saturday about the course of U.S. negotiations with Iran and the timing of returning to combat operations, with Axios citing an Israeli official and another American.

Netanyahu pressed Trump to order a strike on Iran as soon as the U.S. midterm elections are over on Tuesday, while Trump preferred to give negotiations a chance, and the Israeli source described the call as "tough" while the American source described it as "direct."

Trump told reporters on Saturday that negotiations with Iran "are going well," stressing that he is "not in a great hurry."

Qatari mediators met Iranian officials on Sunday for the third day in a row, seeking a deal to restore direct negotiations between the United States and Iran, Axios reported.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said no deal had yet been reached, stressing that it depends on Washington answering Tehran's questions.

Reporting for this sectionAnnahar

Plans for quick strikes

Trump said the United States still has to deal with one or two nuclear sites in Iran, pointing to a suspected site inside Mount Fass, and he added: "We can do that in ten minutes. We have a plan for that," stressing the ability to move quickly.

Euronews said Israel was preparing for the possibility of renewed military confrontation with Iran in coordination with Washington, and it cited a Wall Street Journal report that Trump held a meeting with senior military leaders after which the call with Netanyahu occurred.

Euronews also reported that Trump told Netanyahu that his country is capable of targeting the remaining Iranian nuclear program within ten minutes, noting that there are one or two targets that still need to be addressed, including Mount Baz.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said consultations with mediators were continuing and that the prospects for an agreement depended on Washington's response to Tehran's demands.

Araghchi said Iran hoped the United States would choose "diplomacy over other paths" and he said Iran was prepared for both defense and negotiations, depending on Washington's "rationality."

Reporting for this sectionAnnaharynetglobal

Strait of Hormuz at risk

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said Sunday that two oil tankers had exploded after striking mines while traveling through what it described as an "unauthorized route" in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media. The reported explosions underscored the continuing risks to commercial shipping even as diplomatic efforts sought to restore access to the waterway, and Iran’s restrictions on vessels attempting to navigate the strait remained in place. Araghchi said Saturday that Iranian negotiators were in Qatar for discussions on a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the United States met several Iranian conditions.

The Euronews account said the Qatari initiative included a gradual proposal to restrict the Iranian nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for the United States taking steps to ease the siege and sanctions or the release of Iranian funds frozen abroad. Euronews reported that Iran warned against any new attack, and it said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directed military leaders to be ready for an immediate and strong response, without geographic constraints, in case of an American or Israeli attack on the country.

Reporting for this sectionynetglobalEuronews