3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 21, 2026 10:21 AM IST
A phone call between United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the progress of the war against Iran turned tensed on Wednesday, reported news website CNN. The development came after Trump announced a halt on strikes that was planned for Tuesday.
Earlier, too, the two differed on various aspects of the Iran war strategy. In fact, Israel had allegedly launched the attack on South Fars oil field in Iran without taking the US into confidence. Moreover the primary objectives of the two in the Iran war seem to be different.
Netanyahu, who has been advocating for a more aggressive approach towards Iran since the beginning of the war on February 28, expressed his disappointment with Trump’s actions, telling the US president that delaying the attacks was a mistake, and that the president should continue as planned, a US official told CNN.
The clash between them came after the duo spoke on Sunday, where Trump had shared he would likely move forward with new targeted attacks on Iran early in the week. However, within 24 hours, Trump put a halt on those strikes, reportedly at the request of allies in the Gulf, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, CNN report noted.
“We are in the final stages of Iran. We will see what happens,” Trump told the reporters on Wednesday about efforts to secure a deal with Iran. “We’ll either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty,” he shared, adding, “But hopefully that won’t happen.”
Why Netanyahu differed with Trump
Netanyahu, meanwhile, argued that a delay would only benefit the Iranians, CNN reported quoting Israeli sources.
In their phone call that lasted for an hour, the difference in their opinions was clear: Netanyahu wanted resumption of military action, while Trump wanted to see if a deal can be reached, an Israeli source confirmed.
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Trump, reacting to his conversation with the Israeli PM on Sunday, said on Wednesday: “He’ll do whatever I want him to do.”
Trump has continued to push for a diplomatic deal with Iran, claiming a day earlier that things with Iran are “right on the borderline” and that it was worth giving diplomacy a few more days if it saves lives.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, meanwhile, has said that Tehran and Washington have continued to exchange messages through Pakistan.
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