Trump and Netanyahu Clash Over Iran Peace Proposal Amid Tense Call

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a new effort to reach a deal with Iran in a difficult call on Tuesday, with Axios citing a source saying Netanyahu's "hair was on fire" after the call.

“While the United States backs away from threats to resume bombing Iran if it does not agree to a peace deal, Israel’s political establishment is reportedly itching for war”

Al Jazeera

Axios said a revised peace memo was drafted by Qatar and Pakistan with input from other regional mediators to bridge gaps between the U.S. and Iran, as Trump vacillated over ordering a massive strike on Iran and holding out for a deal.

Al Jazeera

Trump told reporters on Wednesday, "The only question is do we go and finish it up or are they gonna be signing a document. Let's see what happens," while later saying the U.S. and Iran were "right on the borderline" between getting a deal and resuming the war.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday that negotiations were ongoing "based on Iran's 14-point proposal" and that Pakistan's interior minister was in Tehran to help the mediation, according to Axios.

The Times reported that Iran’s supreme leader issued a directive that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s near-weapons-grade enriched uranium should not be sent abroad, rejecting a core American demand in peace negotiations.

CNN reported that Trump and Netanyahu diverged on how to proceed, with a US official telling CNN that Netanyahu believed delaying the expected attacks was a mistake and that Trump should continue as planned.

CNN said Trump had shared on Sunday that he was likely to move forward with new targeted attacks on Iran early in the week as part of an operation expected to be dubbed Operation Sledgehammer, but roughly 24 hours later Trump announced he was halting strikes at the request of allies in the Persian Gulf: Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Biyadir as-siyasi

In the same CNN account, an Israeli source said Netanyahu was skeptical talks would produce an agreement because Iran had refused to give up its enriched uranium, while Reuters reported that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a directive that near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile must not be sent abroad.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told IRNA that "claims about nuclear issues — such as enriched uranium or enrichment levels — are merely media speculation" and said "none of the rumors" about a diplomatic breakthrough were credible, according to CNN.

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli Channel 14 anchor Shimon Riklin blurted out apparently confidential plans about a renewed attack on Tehran, and that Israeli parliament members roundly criticised Riklin, leading him to say his comments were purely hypothetical.

The Times said the enriched uranium directive could complicate talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran, which it said has choked international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and increased global energy prices.

The Times reported that Iran is believed to retain around 440kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity, and that President Trump has referred to it as “nuclear dust” which must be handed over by Tehran.

Axios said the goal of the new effort is to get more tangible commitments from the Iranians over steps regarding their nuclear program, and more specifics from the U.S. as to how frozen Iranian funds will be gradually released.

Chosun Ilbo reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei demanded the lifting of overseas asset freezes and the cessation of the U.S. naval blockade as prerequisites for dialogue, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned, "If aggression is repeated, we will lead the enemies to complete destruction through devastating strikes beyond the Middle East."

Chosun Ilbo also said the U.S. Central Command announced forces from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded and halted an Iranian commercial oil tanker attempting to breach the U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, and that the U.S. military diverted 91 merchant vessels heading toward Iran.