US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are increasingly divided over how to deal with Iran, with their differences reportedly spilling into a heated telephone conversation over the weekend.
The two leaders, who have largely presented a united front against Tehran, are now at odds over whether the US should resume military strikes against Iran or continue pursuing diplomatic negotiations and economic pressure.
According to a report by Israeli news website Ynet News, the weekend conversation, which focused largely on the Iran conflict, turned into what was described as a "shouting match from hell". The reported exchange came amid growing disagreements over the next phase of the conflict and Israel's push for renewed military action.
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Netanyahu's office has rejected the account, calling it "fake news, complete nonsense". A senior Israeli official also confirmed that the conversation took place but disputed the description of the exchange, saying it was "very much not a difficult conversation".
At the heart of the disagreement is Netanyahu's push for Washington to support fresh strikes against Iran, which he believes are necessary to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its nuclear programme. Trump, meanwhile, appears reluctant to reopen the military front, preferring economic pressure and negotiations to secure concessions from Iran.
Netanyahu has also stepped up efforts to persuade Trump to take a tougher military approach towards Tehran. A Financial Times report recently said the Israeli prime minister had been calling Trump every day to push for a resumption of strikes against Iran.
The report quoted a person familiar with the discussions as saying that those opposed to another war, both inside and outside the White House, were trying to counter Netanyahu's efforts.
"The regional leaders are telling him not to escalate and prioritise negotiations," the person was quoted as saying.
Arab and Muslim leaders have also reportedly expressed concern over Netanyahu's efforts to persuade Washington to restart the conflict.
Trump, however, has shown little appetite for an immediate return to military action. During an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday, he was asked whether he would restart the war with Iran. He responded that he did not think "there's any reason to".
Netanyahu's public statements have further underlined his position. Addressing the swearing-in of Israel's 26th Knesset on Tuesday, the prime minister warned that Iran was actively working to rebuild its nuclear capabilities. He argued that removing the country's ruling establishment was the only way to permanently eliminate the threat.
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"The only way to permanently eliminate this existential threat is to overthrow the regime of the ayatollahs," Netanyahu said.
He also warned that Israel could soon face international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran and give up its recent military gains in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank.
The latest reported phone call is not the first instance of tensions between the two leaders. In June, Trump reportedly told The Washington Post that he had called Netanyahu "f***ing crazy" during one such exchange.
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