Netanyahu threatens to strike Iran amid Trump’s push for nuclear deal: Report

WASHINGTON

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening to strike Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities, potentially upending US-Iran nuclear negotiations, according to a report citing officials briefed on the situation.

The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump and Netanyahu clashed over the issue in at least one tense call, as Israeli officials continued to press for military action despite US efforts to secure a diplomatic deal.

According to the report, Israel had considered launching a strike as early as this month but was waved off by Trump, who remains hopeful about reaching a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities.

Speaking at the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump confirmed that he had warned Netanyahu against taking action.

Asked whether he had warned the Israeli premier against "taking some sort of actions that could disrupt" the negotiations with Iran, Trump replied: “I’d like to be honest. Yes, I did.”

Iran and the US have been engaged in nuclear diplomacy for the past two months, with Oman mediating five rounds of indirect talks in Muscat and Rome.

Uranium enrichment has emerged as a key sticking point in the negotiations, with the US calling for its dismantling while Iran insists the program will continue.

Trump has threatened military action against Iran if a new nuclear agreement is not reached to replace the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Washington withdrew in 2018.