Trump, Netanyahu Discussed Military Strike on Iran — SkimNews
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- Trump and Netanyahu explored diplomacy, economic pressure, and 'a massive strike' as options to curb Iran's nuclear program at their Tuesday White House meeting, a senior Israeli official told reporters Wednesday
- Netanyahu did not push Trump to escalate militarily against Iran, and the Israeli official pushed back against any notion of tension between the two leaders
- Trump had voiced irritation with Netanyahu ahead of the meeting over leaks about Israeli plans to share new intelligence on Pickaxe Mountain, a deep-underground nuclear-linked facility Trump has threatened to bomb
- Israel did not join the latest two-week U.S. bombing campaign this month but has warned Tehran it would respond forcefully if attacked
- Iran's clerical rulers have been rattled by rising inflation and public frustration, the Israeli official said, though he also cited concern about the impact on the global economy and oil markets
- Oil prices surged Wednesday in one of the sharpest spikes since the war began February 28 with a joint Israeli-U.S. aerial bombing campaign that drew retaliatory Iranian strikes on U.S. bases in Jordan and ships in the Strait of Hormuz
Why it matters: The Israeli official's explicit denial that Netanyahu pushed for escalation reframes the U.S. as the decision-maker on a possible 'massive strike' against Iran, with Israel positioned as a junior partner. That framing shields Netanyahu domestically if Trump chooses diplomacy while preserving Israeli leverage if he chooses force, and it confirms that all three paths remain live.
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