Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed U.S. President Donald Trump to renew military strikes against Iran, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The appeal was conveyed in a call between the two leaders, according to Axios, which described the conversation as frank.
The Financial Times report comes as the region waits to see whether the Iran war will restart. CNN reported that fears are mounting across the Middle East that fighting could resume after the U.S. midterms.
Publicly, the U.S. position has been different. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump wants to bring the Iran war to a peaceful end, CNBC reported, even as both sides make preparations for possible strikes. Al Jazeera reported that Washington is weighing fresh strikes on Iran while JD Vance has made contact with Tehran, leaving open whether the two sides are moving toward war or a deal.
The reports point to a gap between the diplomatic message coming from Washington and the pressure coming from Israel. No decision by Trump on renewed strikes has been reported.
What to watch next: whether the White House responds publicly to Netanyahu's request, and whether the reported contacts between Vance and Iran produce any movement toward talks.