US President Donald Trump described his telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran as “very good” on Sunday, while sources reported differences over possible renewed military strikes.
The leaders spoke on Saturday. Trump offered no further details about their discussion beyond confirming that Iran was among the topics.
An Israeli and a US source told Axios that Netanyahu wanted Washington to strike Iran immediately after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Trump preferred to give diplomatic negotiations more time, according to their accounts. The Israeli source characterized the conversation as difficult, while the American source described it as direct. Neither leader’s office commented on Axios’s account.
Read: Iran War Could Widen if US Resumes Strikes, Experts Warn
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Atlanta on Saturday that Trump had not decided whether to launch further strikes. Rubio said the administration preferred a diplomatic solution.
Trump separately described negotiations with Iran as progressing well. He said Washington was not rushing towards military action but maintained that one or two Iranian nuclear sites still required attention.
US Vice President JD Vance had sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, about restarting talks.
Rezaei told Iranian state media on Saturday that he had read the letter but had not replied. Qatari mediators continued discussions with Iranian officials for a third consecutive day on Sunday.
Read: Iran War Fears Grow Across Gulf as US Midterms Near
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was considering a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if Washington met Iranian conditions.
Araghchi said no agreement had been reached. He added that progress depended on the United States answering Iran’s outstanding questions.
