OMM Newsroom
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump reportedly clashed during a weekend phone call over whether to resume military operations against Iran, Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday, citing media reports.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing people familiar with the conversation, said it focused mainly on Iran and differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over a possible resumption of the war. Sources described the call as particularly difficult and confrontational, with one calling it “a screaming conversation from hell.”
Netanyahu’s office rejected the account, saying: “Fake news, complete nonsense.” A senior Israeli official confirmed that the call took place but insisted it had not been difficult.
The report followed a Financial Times article published a day earlier that said Netanyahu had been calling Trump “every day” to urge him to resume military action against Iran. The newspaper cited a person briefed on the discussions.
The Financial Times also reported that Arab and Muslim leaders were alarmed by Netanyahu’s repeated lobbying and were urging Trump to prioritize diplomacy over renewed military action.
Trump said Monday that Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, opposed a new military campaign against Tehran. He cited “positive momentum” toward ending the conflict and said renewed US strikes on Iran appeared “quite unlikely.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington saw no immediate need to resume major combat operations against Iran, arguing that economic pressure was achieving its objectives. He said the United States would continue its economic campaign against Tehran, while warning that American forces remained ready to respond if Iran crossed Washington’s “red lines.”
Separately, Qatar said Tuesday it had received positive responses from Washington and Tehran to its mediation efforts, although uncertainty remained over the prospects of an agreement.
The United States and Israel launched a military offensive against Iran on Feb. 28. Despite subsequent diplomatic efforts and a memorandum signed by Washington and Tehran, negotiations have yet to produce a settlement.
