Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his support for President Donald Trump’s potential Iran deal, saying it would protect Israel’s “vital interests.”
In a video address, Netanyahu said he had just spoken with Trump by phone, during which the two discussed the potential deal with Iran. Though Netanyahu has been known for pursuing maximalist demands in the war with Iran, he voiced optimism toward the potential deal with Tehran in his first comments since Trump’s remarks took much of the world by surprise.
“President Trump believes that there is a chance to leverage the massive achievements of the IDF and the U.S. military in order to achieve the goals of the war through an agreement — an agreement that protects our vital interests,” the prime minister said.
Until such a deal was reached, however, he showed no signs of having the Israeli Air Force let up its strikes.
“At the same time, we continue to strike both in Iran and in Lebanon. We are crushing the missile program and the nuclear program, and continuing to inflict severe blows on Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said.
“Just days ago, we eliminated two more nuclear scientists—and the hand is still outstretched. We will safeguard our vital interests in any scenario,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, Trump called off strikes on Iranian power plants across the country after posting on Truth Social that “VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.”
He said the conversations were “IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE” and would “CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK,” but was scant on more details.
Iran quickly denied any such talks had taken place, and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused Trump of trying to “manipulate the financial and oil markets” with his comments.
The price of oil per barrel has been volatile since the U.S. began its joint campaign with Israel against Iran. It has peaked at almost $120 per barrel on at least two days since the war began.
The U.S. and Israel joined a war together for the first time in their history on Feb. 28, but from the beginning, their objectives have differed. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth acknowledged as much on March 10.
“Well, I would just state by saying Israel has been a really strong partner in this effort. Where they have different objectives, they’ve pursued them. Ultimately, we’ve stayed focused on ours,” he said during a press conference.
TRUMP SAYS ‘ME AND THE AYATOLLAH’ COULD CONTROL STRAIT OF HORMUZ IF IRAN DEAL REACHED
Israel is widely viewed as having much more maximalist objectives, with the threat of a belligerent Iran their primary geopolitical concern since 2003. Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed his desire for regime change in Tehran, which Israel has tried to facilitate through the assassinations of military and political figures and targeted drone strikes on Iran’s security infrastructure.
The U.S. is much more amenable to a deal, with Trump particularly sensitive to economic shocks from the war and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.