The Wall Street Journal reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu sought to obstruct the emerging US-Iran nuclear deal and warned President Trump that Tehran cannot be trusted, asking 'How will you ensure they uphold the agreement?' while Trump pushed ahead, according to the report. The report adds to a series of recent Background accounts of tensions between the two leaders over the Iran talks.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to block the emerging nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran and warned President Donald Trump in their conversations that Tehran cannot be trusted, asking 'How will you ensure they uphold the agreement?' — while Trump pushed forward with the diplomatic initiative, according to the report cited by Israeli media. The report adds to a series of recent accounts, as The Zioneer previously reported, of growing friction between the two leaders.
Earlier publications of the same Journal report — all time-stamped Thursday 06:28 Jerusalem — had already documented the tensions in layers. The initial version (version 1) quoted Trump complaining to aides that Netanyahu 'wants to bomb everyone' and asking him 'Why are you blowing up buildings? Stop it.' A subsequent version (version 2) added the detail that Netanyahu had requested a meeting after learning Trump planned to sign a memorandum of understanding with Iran. Version 3 reported that during a phone call, Netanyahu asked Trump: 'Donald, how are you going to verify that?' — after Trump informed him of progress toward a deal. Version 5 summarized the friction, including that White House officials said Trump had begun frequently asking aides whether things he hears from Netanyahu are accurate. The current version, with the explicit warning not to trust Tehran and the enforcement question, is the latest iteration published Thursday morning.
On Monday, as The Zioneer reported, Trump told the New York Times that Netanyahu should be 'grateful' and that Israeli strikes nearly scuttled the deal. Earlier, on Sunday, contradictory reports emerged of Trump pledging to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities in a call with Netanyahu, while other sources suggested Trump was pressing Israel to avoid retaliation. A senior Israeli official was quoted on Friday saying Netanyahu told Trump he understands Trump's Iran efforts but insisted Israel must not be a victim.
The timing of the specific conversations cited in the latest Journal version remains unclear, and whether the new details represent a separate, later conversation or a more detailed account of the same call reported earlier. The report relies on an unnamed source.
4 developments
- StrongTrump tells Netanyahu he is determined to sign Iran agreement as deal talks accelerate
- StrongTrump to NYT: Netanyahu should be grateful — strikes nearly scuttled Iran deal
- DevelopingReport: Trump and Netanyahu Plotting a 'Trap' for Iran
- DevelopingSenior Israeli official: Netanyahu told Trump he understands his Iran efforts but Israel must not be a victim
Source and signal
- Internal intake