President Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to refrain from retaliating against Iran’s missile attack, emphasizing the importance of ongoing diplomatic negotiations with Tehran, according to a senior U.S. official and an Israeli source familiar with the call.
The appeal underscores the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent escalating tensions between Israel and Iran from derailing potential U.S. diplomatic progress with Tehran. Trump reportedly stressed to Netanyahu that Washington is "close to doing something good in terms of a deal" and urged Israel to avoid actions that could jeopardize these efforts. Netanyahu pushed back but ultimately agreed to stand down, the U.S. official said.
Trump’s intervention follows Iran’s missile attack, which Tehran claims was a response to an Israeli strike in Beirut earlier that day. The U.S. administration denied giving a "green light" to the Israeli action in Beirut. A senior U.S. official noted that Sunday’s call was calmer than recent exchanges between the leaders, with Trump emphasizing that "we are in the fourth quarter" of negotiations and urging Israel not to disrupt progress.
"I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots," Trump said of Netanyahu in a recent interview with the Financial Times.
The U.S. push for restraint highlights its prioritization of American interests in the region over Israel’s immediate security concerns. As tensions simmer, Washington appears focused on securing a diplomatic resolution with Iran, potentially reshaping the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East.