Trump Curses Netanyahu as US-Iran Deal Survives
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- Trump publicly cursed Netanyahu over the weekend, telling Axios: "Why did Bibi have to do a f‑‑‑ing attack? I was so pissed off... He has no f‑‑‑ing judgment," accusing Israel of nearly collapsing the US-Iran deal with strikes on Hezbollah
- Netanyahu defied Trump's demands to halt retaliatory attacks on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, risking Iran's pullout from negotiations just hours before the memorandum of understanding was signed
- Trump is claiming victory on the deal's terms — cutting off Iran's pathway to a nuclear weapon and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to global oil and gas flows — while Israeli critics across the political spectrum call the agreement too weak on Iran's ballistic missile and proxy threats
- Former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro said the tensions won't rupture the alliance because Trump won't risk US-Israel military and intelligence cooperation, but flagged a "real divergence of interests" — Trump wants the war over to resolve the global energy crisis, while Netanyahu wants to keep striking Iran's regime
- Israel's domestic political fault lines deepened as far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared "Trump's agreement does not bind us" on X, and opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of alienating the United States ahead of October elections
- The 100-plus-day war has killed 13 American soldiers, damaged US bases across the Middle East, and let Iran demonstrate it can close the Strait of Hormuz — fueling the energy crisis and gas price pressure driving Trump's push to end the conflict
Why it matters: With 13 American soldiers killed, US bases damaged across the Middle East, and a global energy crisis triggered by the Strait of Hormuz closure, Trump is racing to lock in a deal Netanyahu's own coalition says doesn't bind Israel — meaning the agreement Trump is touting as a victory may not survive contact with Israeli politics or the next Hezbollah exchange, even as Americans pay higher gas prices in the interim.
