- US President Trump warned Netanyahu to accept any US-Iran deal to end Middle East conflict
- Trump claimed he controls US-Israel actions and Netanyahu has no say in the matter
- Trump urged Netanyahu to avoid retaliation after Iran's missile strikes on Israel
US President Donald Trump has reportedly warned Benjamin Netanyahu to stand down on regional military escalations, explicitly declaring that the Israeli prime minister has "no choice" but to accept whatever agreement Washington may reach with Iran to end the war in the Middle East. In an interview with The Financial Times, Trump declared that he's the one who calls the shots in the US-Israeli aggression against Tehran.
"He won't have any choice," Trump told the outlet in a phone interview, adding, "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu] doesn't call the shots."
The US leader's statement shortly after Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in the most serious breach of the fragile ceasefire that was struck in early April.
Trump's Warming To Netanyahu
Trump, meanwhile, separately told Fox News and Axios that he would instruct Netanyahu to refrain from taking retaliatory action against Iran and return to the negotiating table-- a position at odds with statements from the Israeli military.
Quoting a US official, Axios reported that Trump has told Netanyahu during the call to hold off because "we are close to doing something good in terms of a deal." The Israeli leader, according to the report, pushed back but ultimately "pseudo-agreed" to stand down.
"We think the president bought a little bit of time. He is pretty adamant that we are close to a deal with Iran. I don't think anything is imminent in terms of an Israeli strike," the US official said.
Trump's Iran Plan
Trump told FT that Iran's strikes on Israel have not changed his desire to conclude US-Iran negotiations. "It's not going to have any impact on the deal," he said.
"We'll see how it ends up. But they [the missile strikes on Israel] were attacks that did not kick at all. It's one of those things that's been going for 3,000 years, or 47 years, depending on how you count," Trump added.
However, contrary to his position since US Vice President JD Vance led the first negotiations with Iran in early April, Trump did not sound bullish about a peace deal with Tehran. "I think the deal is going on. We'll see what happens," he said.
Trump also stressed that Iran's attack on Israel would not affect his calculus. "The deal may make it on its own merit, or not, but this will not have any effect on it."
Trump Ready For Iran Raid
Asked what would happen if any such deal failed "on its merits", Trump said he would consider a commando raid on Iran. "It means [one of] two things. Number one, it would mean that possibly we would go in and take care of the rest of the place that we didn't take care of militarily. Or it would just mean that we would keep the blockade on Iran because the blockade has probably been more powerful than any attack that was ever made on that country," he said.
Trump's comments came after his blistering phone call with Netanyahu last week, where the president reportedly told Netanyahu, "You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."
Trump confirmed that the call took place and did not dispute the way it was characterised.
