US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly had a heated phone conversation over the weekend, with disagreements emerging over whether to resume military action against Iran, according to Israeli media reports.
Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu repeatedly urged Trump to restart the war, while the US president favoured pursuing diplomacy and allowing ongoing peace talks with Tehran to continue. Reports described the conversation as a “shouting match from hell.”
However, Netanyahu’s office rejected that characterization, calling the reports “fake news.” A senior Israeli official confirmed that the two leaders spoke over the weekend but denied that any clash occurred.
The reported disagreement comes amid claims by the Financial Times that Netanyahu has been contacting Trump daily to press for a return to full-scale military action.
Netanyahu has argued that renewed US strikes and regime change are necessary to address Iran’s nuclear programme.
Addressing the 26th Knesset on Tuesday, he said removing the Ayatollah-led government was the only way to eliminate what he described as an existential threat.
Trump, meanwhile, has favoured continuing economic pressure on Tehran to secure concessions.
Asked during a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday whether he would restart the war, he said he did not think “there’s any reason to.”
The two leaders have reportedly had tense conversations over Iran and regional military operations in the past, including during June.
