President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Netanyahu should thank the United States for reaching a deal with Iran, in an interview published early Monday. Trump called Netanyahu 'a very difficult guy' and stated that without American action against Iran's nuclear program, 'Israel would not survive two hours.'
President Donald Trump on Monday (06:03 Jerusalem) published a new interview with the New York Times in which he said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should thank the United States for reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. This is the third on-record Trump statement on Netanyahu to emerge since early Monday: at 02:22 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported two overlapping versions of the president's criticism — one carried by N12 and Israel Hayom, and a second from an Israeli outlet — both of which called Netanyahu a "very difficult person" or "big disappointment" and asserted Israel would not have survived two hours against a nuclear-armed Iran. The dedicated Times interview, which surfaced three hours later as a distinct, attributed source, adds independent confirmation to those earlier reports and provides the president's clearest framing of the gratitude demand.
As The Zioneer reported at 02:22 and 02:47 Jerusalem, the initial round of Trump's remarks came through multiple Israeli newsrooms in rapid succession, with N12 and Israel Hayom each carrying similar quotes attributed to Trump. By 02:54 Jerusalem, the desk had updated to consolidate those accounts, noting the remarks were sourced to Israeli media but lacking direct White House confirmation. The Times interview, posted at 06:03 Jerusalem and attributed directly to Trump by name, moves the chain from multiple secondhand reports to an on-record, named outlet. The underlying claims — about survivability, Netanyahu's conduct, and Israel's debt for the deal — remain consistent across all versions.
The Zioneer reported on June 9 that Trump told Netanyahu the U.S. and Iran were days from a nuclear deal breakthrough. On June 12, a senior Israeli official said Netanyahu told Trump he understands the president's Iran efforts but that Israel must not be a victim of any agreement. On Sunday (16:15 Jerusalem), journalist Barak Ravid reported that Trump would spend many hours with Netanyahu later that day, and that Netanyahu saw the meeting as either a chance at a second term or the end of his friendship with Trump. The Times interview does not state whether Trump's new comments were made before or after that reported conversation.
It remains unconfirmed whether the Times interview was conducted before or after Trump's reported interaction with Netanyahu on Sunday. The White House has not issued an official transcript or statement beyond what the Times published, and Netanyahu's office has not yet responded to the president's latest remarks.
5 developments
- ConfirmedTrump tells Netanyahu US and Iran days from nuclear deal breakthrough, NYT reports
- DevelopingTrump boasts that a nuclear-armed Iran would have destroyed Israel within two hours
- StrongTrump attacks Netanyahu, confirms lifting of US blockade on Iran 'immediately'
- DevelopingTrump says Netanyahu is a 'very tough man'; Iran claims ceasefire includes Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake