Israel’s intelligence chief has travelled to Washington as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday presses United States President Donald Trump to resume military action, news agency Reuters reported, citing Axios.
Mossad chief Roman Gofman is meeting CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Washington and is also expected to travel to Miami for talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Axios further reported.
This comes after Netanyahu’s office on Thursday denied reports that he had a heated phone call with Trump over Iran, calling these “fake news” and “complete nonsense.”
Weekend phone call between Netanyahu and Trump
Earlier, a report from Israeli media outlet Ynet, citing sources, claimed that a weekend phone call between Netanyahu and Trump, which largely focused on Iran, had been unusually difficult and led to a heated exchange. One of the sources quoted by Ynet called it a “shouting match from hell.”
The conversation took place against the backdrop of purported disagreements between Washington and Iran over whether to renew the war against Iran. A senior Israeli official reportedly confirmed to Ynet that the call took place, but insisted that it was “very much not a difficult conversation.”
Also read | Netanyahu’s office calls report of heated call with Trump over Iran ‘complete nonsense’
Both Netanyahu and Trump have given contradicting statements recently on the Islamic Republic. The US President touted “positive momentum” in negotiations and signalled he was ready to hold off on fresh strikes against Iran, reversing earlier threats, after a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
However, Netanyahu’s remarks in the Knesset on Tuesday underscored differences. The Israeli PM claimed the nuclear threat cannot be permanently eliminated without the fall of the Iranian regime.
Both Netanyahu and Trump have also suffered significant electoral setbacks in their respective countries. The Israeli PM’s Likud Party-led bloc is set to win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset but has not reached the 61-seat majority mark. Meanwhile, Trump’s Republican Party has lost control of the US Congress in the November midterm elections.
Trump signals ‘status quo’, Netanyahu demands regime change
US President Trump, who initiated strikes on Iran alongside Israel in February this year, has now signalled “status quo” and cooled on the idea of fresh strikes after the midterm elections, a threat he had earlier made. “We’re just keeping it at the status quo,” Trump said after meeting the Prime Minister of Qatar, which is one of the mediating countries in the West Asia conflict.
However, Netanyahu has reportedly been calling the US President “every day” to resume strikes on Tehran, the Financial Times reported.
The conflict has been in a state of de facto stalemate for months. The US-Israeli strikes in February were followed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes on American bases and interests in Gulf countries.
The Islamic Republic also effectively blocked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and the US imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports. While both sides agreed to a ceasefire framework in June, it quickly unravelled over sticking points, including Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.
Also Read | Netanyahu calling Trump ‘every day’ to resume Iran war as US president mulls end: Report
While Trump is now reluctant to renew full-scale strikes, with his administration citing the economic pressure on Iran as being enough to bring the Islamic Republic to the table, Netanyahu seems to be committed to his earlier ambitions.
“Iran isn’t giving up on its plan to destroy Israel,” he said Tuesday at the inauguration of the new Knesset. He added, “The only way to permanently remove this existential threat is to overthrow the ayatollah’s rule.”
