Trump Tells Netanyahu: Iran Deal in Days
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- Trump called Netanyahu on Thursday evening to say he expected to sign an Iran deal within days, telling him: "This is the deal. It's a great deal, and it's time to end this war."
- Trump stopped Netanyahu's planned massive strikes against Iranian energy and infrastructure at the last moment, after which Netanyahu was largely out of the loop and calling Washington allies for intel on negotiations.
- Netanyahu did not push back hard on the call, telling Trump he trusts him to address shared concerns around Iran's nuclear program, according to a U.S. official — who said "Bibi probably understood that a deal was about to happen and that he could not stop it."
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that Israel retains "the ability to act independently to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon" and would prepare accordingly.
- Israeli officials are privately highly skeptical, fearing Iran could drag out negotiations while stabilizing financially through oil sales without making real nuclear concessions.
- Israeli officials are also concerned that the deal's Lebanon ceasefire will limit operations against Hezbollah, with the Trump administration expected to demand consultation on every strike.
- With elections four months away, Netanyahu's rivals are accusing him of making Israel a "vassal state" by accepting Trump's terms for peace.
Why it matters: Netanyahu faces a major political blow with Israeli elections four months away, as rivals frame acceptance of Trump's Iran terms as "vassal state" diplomacy. Israel is also being told to constrain independent strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon — a concession Defense Minister Katz signaled Israel is not prepared to make.
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