Netanyahu Urged Trump to Delay Possible U.S. Strike on Iran

Netanyahu Makes Direct Appeal to Donald Trump

According to reports by The New York Times, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly requested former U.S. President Donald Trump postpone any potential military strikes on Iran by personally asking by telephone on Wednesday at a time when tension was running high over Tehran’s crackdown and regional stability issues. A senior U.S. official claimed their conversation took place as tension rose over Iranian internal crackdown and regional stability concerns.

Signals of De-escalation from Washington

On that same day, Trump publicly claimed he had received information from “very credible sources” indicating Iranian authorities had stopped killing dissidents and were no longer planning executions, prompting interpretation as de-escalatory signal from Washington as diplomatic pressure rather than direct military intervention could help address Iran’s suppression of anti-government protesters.

Military Options Remain on the Table

U.S. officials stressed, despite public statements to the contrary, that military options had not been excluded as possible options for action against Iran. A senior American official confirmed late Wednesday that President Trump is currently reviewing plans presented by his armed forces; any decision regarding military strikes depends on Iran’s response to mass demonstrations and Washington is monitoring developments closely on the ground.

Region Pressure against Escalation

At the same time, several Arab nations have strongly advised the U.S. against attacking Iran militarily. Officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt warned their U.S. counterparts that an attack could spark regional warfare; according to one Gulf official these senior representatives also communicated directly with Iranian officials advocating restraint if military action from either side were ever to occur.