Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making calls to President Donald Trump every day to request that the US return to large-scale warfare against Iran. Trump has publicly stated that his preference is to maintain the status quo of limited strikes and economic warfare until Iran complies with his demands and signs a peace agreement on US terms.
According to a source speaking with the Financial Times, “Netanyahu calls him every day [to urge him to resume the war]. Those who don’t want a war within the White House and outside have been trying to combat that,” said a person briefed on the discussions. “The regional leaders are telling him not to escalate and prioritize negotiations.”
On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that there was progress toward ending the conflict and America’s Arab allies prefer the status quo. “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others, would prefer the status quo, in other words, a continuation of the Greatest Naval Blockade in History, and the new Operation Iron Gate — Therefore, Land and Sea.” He continued, “We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict.”
However, Trump also threatened to attack Iran in the post. “Should there be any change with respect to developments in the Middle East, the United States of America is ‘locked and loaded’ and ready to go,” he wrote, adding, “At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely.”
While Trump is giving an optimistic view of negotiations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the Iranian proposal was “not realistic.” “Right now it hasn’t been very productive, because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable but, in some cases, outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we’re on the verge of a breakthrough. The President would always prefer to solve this and every problem diplomatically. Sometimes that’s not possible, unfortunately.”
On Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, argued it was reasonable for Tehran to require Washington to lift the US blockade and remove sanctions before peace negotiations resume. “Is it unreasonable that Iran demands that US illegal sanctions and its naval blockade must be lifted before negotiations start and that the war should end on all fronts?” he asked rhetorically.
