Amid differences, Trump and Netanyahu hold call, discuss Iran nuclear talks
It was their first conversation since the prime minister's visit to the White House two weeks ago, when the US president announced direct talks with Iran.
Three days after a second round of talks between the United States and Iran on a potential new nuclear deal, President Donald Trump spoke Tuesday by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The call focused on the Iranian nuclear threat and ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, including the release of hostages. It was their first conversation since Netanyahu’s visit to the White House two weeks ago, when Trump announced direct talks with Iran.
"The call went very well," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, adding, "We are on the same side of every issue."
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who handles the Iran portfolio, traveled to Paris on Friday with Mossad Chief David Barnea to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff and convey Israel’s concerns over a possible deal with Tehran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff had arrived in Paris a day earlier for discussions with French officials on the Iran talks. Dermer and Barnea then continued to Rome, where the second round of US-Iran talks took place, the news site Walla reported.
On Monday, NBC cited a senior US official as saying the talks concluded Saturday saw “very good progress.”
According to Haaretz, technical talks will continue this week in Geneva, followed by a third round of political negotiations this weekend in Oman. Israel has remained publicly silent on the talks, but Reuters reported Saturday that although Trump told Netanyahu he would not approve a strike on Iran’s nuclear sites next month, Israel is still considering the option while negotiations proceed.
On Gaza, Netanyahu said Saturday night that Hamas rejected a recent US- and Egyptian-backed proposal for the release of half the surviving hostages and the return of hostage remains. “Hamas demands ending the war and preserving its regime. It also calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and reconstruction funds that would allow it to rearm and prepare new attacks against us,” he said.
Al Jazeera reported Monday that Egypt is now demanding Hamas disarm — a condition that reportedly caught the group off guard.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani is expected in Washington on Tuesday for talks with Rubio and Witkoff to advance ceasefire efforts in Gaza.
