“Netanyahu not warned in advance”: Trump blindsides Israeli PM by scrapping Iran strikes, says report

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Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump abruptly halted scheduled military strikes against Iran. He then declared that a diplomatic accord with Tehran could be finalised within days. This move reportedly left Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entirely blindsided.

According to Axios, Netanyahu received no prior warning before Trump publicly disclosed that he had paused the military action. Trump claimed that the Iranian leadership had cleared a draft framework agreement.

“Netanyahu was not warned in advance, and he was caught off guard when Trump released his initial statement on the deal,” the report stated.

The unpredicted declaration introduced another twist in the increasingly complicated relationship between the two leaders. It underscored widening rifts regarding the strategy to handle Tehran.
This development unfolded as Washington maintains its push for a negotiated settlement.

Conversely, Israel maintains that relentless military pressure remains vital to stop Iran from fortifying its regional footprint.

Trump announced on Thursday that he had called off the planned operations against Iranian targets. He made this decision after receiving signs that Tehran was prepared to advance with a draft pact.

“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The proposed blueprint reportedly features an extension of the ceasefire and the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. It also includes the initiation of a fresh round of talks centred on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Addressing his supporters later, Trump went further. He asserted that the United States had effectively “ended the war with Iran.” He also claimed Tehran had committed to never developing or purchasing a nuclear weapon.

The disclosure caught Israeli officialdom completely by surprise, with Netanyahu getting no advance notice before Trump’s public statement. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the Israeli leader only discovered the development after it entered the public domain. Axios reported this sequence of events.

Although Israel subsequently welcomed assurances that any conclusive treaty would target Iran’s nuclear capabilities, the absence of prior consultation brought simmering tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv to light.

“President Trump spoke this evening with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the emerging memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran to enter into negotiations,” Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office stated in a post on X.

“Even though Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s commitment that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations will include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region,” the post added.

Netanyahu has maintained deep scepticism over diplomatic engagements with Iran for months. Moreover, Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that Tehran uses negotiations to buy time. They say Iran is building up its military strength and backing regional proxy outfits.

According to reports from CNN and Axios, Netanyahu had actively pressed Trump to sustain military pressure and execute the scheduled strikes on Iranian positions. Instead of halting operations for diplomatic tracks, he urged this course of action.

During a recent telephonic exchange between the two leaders, Netanyahu reportedly asserted that pausing military measures was an error. In addition, he cautioned that Iran was merely engaging in diplomatic “foot-dragging”. Tel Aviv’s firm stance has been that only unwavering pressure can extract genuine concessions from Tehran.

Despite frequently describing one another as staunch allies, Trump and Netanyahu have hit a series of policy disagreements. Over recent months, these tensions have intensified.

The most visible friction developed over Israel’s military campaigns in Lebanon. Trump grew frustrated that Israeli strikes against Hezbollah were disrupting broader diplomatic manoeuvres involving Iran and Gulf nations. Reports indicate the US President used highly robust language during a phone call to accuse Netanyahu of disrupting negotiations.

Trump later acknowledged that the conversation turned heated, admitting he was “perturbed” by Israel’s ongoing military operations.

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“I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump remarked, though he quickly emphasised that his bond with Netanyahu stayed intact. “We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” Trump added.

Netanyahu, however, attempted to minimise the friction. Speaking to CNBC, he framed the strains as minor operational variances rather than deep structural divides.

“Sometimes we have tactical disagreements. But we always find a way to work them out,” Netanyahu stated, reinforcing that both figures stay dedicated to blocking Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities.

Nevertheless, the latest Iran negotiations have exposed a distinct power imbalance in the relationship. Trump made it clear that Washington, rather than Tel Aviv, dictates the trajectory of talks with Tehran.

In an interview with the Financial Times earlier this week, Trump brushed off the idea that Netanyahu could obstruct a US-Iran accord.

“He won’t have any choice. I call the shots. He doesn’t call the shots,” Trump declared.
The assertion serves as one of the clearest signals that the White House intends to drive its diplomatic agenda forward irrespective of Israeli reservations. Earlier US administrations frequently operated in lockstep with Israel on Iran policy. In contrast, Trump has increasingly positioned himself as the sole decision-maker.

Adding an extra layer of ambiguity to the situation, Iran has stopped short of validating Trump’s highly optimistic outlook.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei dismissed reports of a finalised deal as “mere speculation”, emphasising that Tehran has not made a definitive choice, as reported by the state news agency IRNA.

He confirmed that Qatar and Pakistan were “active as mediators”, but pointed out that “US actions are affecting the diplomatic process”.

“From the beginning, the status of the negotiations was clear to us, and a large portion of the text had already been finalised. However, the Americans kept changing their positions,” Baghaei stated, according to IRNA quotes cited by CNN.

He maintained that Iran has “proven that it does not compromise on what it has defined as its red lines”, reiterating that “so far, Iran has not reached a final decision regarding any agreement.”

Concurrently, Trump indicated that a memorandum of understanding could be signed in Europe as early as this weekend. Vice President JD Vance is expected to head the American team.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump stated, “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, and we’re going to be subject to finalisation of documents. We should get done over the next few days. We’ll probably have a signing, maybe in Europe. When oil comes down, everything else comes down.”

Trump further claimed that Iran had committed to permanently giving up the pursuit or creation of nuclear arms under the proposed arrangement.

“They will not have a nuclear weapon. They’ve agreed to that. There will be no, which is the whole reason, which is a big part of the reason. They will not only not have, they will not purchase, develop in any way, any shape, in any way, shape, or form a nuclear weapon. They will not have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

He described the impending framework as highly advantageous for Washington and the broader Middle East. He also stressed that denying Iran a nuclear path remains a primary goal.

“Because they (Iran) have taken a pounding like very few people could take, and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do. We could have done the other way, but it would have taken longer. They got hit very hard recently, as you know. And I don’t like to have to do things that way, but I felt it was necessary. It’s a great deal for the US and for the Middle East, and I think ultimately great for Iran because they’ll be able to build up their country,” Trump stated.

(ANI)

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