Netanyahu Pulls Back on Iran Advice to Trump
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- Netanyahu met with Trump for over an hour on Tuesday at the White House to survey three options on Iran: a nuclear deal, economic pressure via sanctions and a continuing blockade, or escalated military action.
- A senior Israeli official said Netanyahu declined to advocate for any specific course, adding only that the delegation "added some new ideas" to the conversation.
- Israel acknowledged its standing is "low" in Washington and that there is "repair work to do" with the White House after earlier prescriptive counsel that outlined a military plan to topple Iran's regime.
- A Trump administration official said Israel is being cautious because "Trump is in charge" and "does not take kindly to demands from a foreign power."
- The senior Israeli official said Israel sees "no easy answer" on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and undermining Iran's Islamist regime.
- Shalom Lipner, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Netanyahu is "treading extra carefully" to avoid perceptions of pushing the U.S. into a war that remains unpopular among Americans.
Why it matters: Netanyahu's tonal shift—from prescriptive military planning earlier in the conflict to offering information without demands—reflects Israel's diminished leverage with Trump and a White House unwilling to be seen as bowing to foreign pressure, constraining Israel's ability to shape U.S. Iran strategy on three paths that carry vastly different costs for the world economy.
