Axios: Netanyahu Pressures Trump to Strike Iran After Midterm Elections

US President Donald Trump held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, during which they discussed the course of US negotiations with Iran and the potential timing for resuming military operations, according to the "Axios" website, citing American and Israeli sources.

The two sources said that Netanyahu is pressuring Trump to launch strikes on Iran immediately after the midterm elections scheduled for Tuesday, while the US president currently prefers to give negotiations a chance, a stance that worries Netanyahu.

The Israeli source described the call as "difficult," while the American source described it as "direct." The White House and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment.

Parallel Tracks
Trump is following parallel tracks, as he did before Operation "Midnight Hammer" in June 2025 and "Epic Fury" in February; he seeks an agreement that allows for the resumption of peace talks, while simultaneously preparing for the possibility of resuming large-scale military operations after the midterm elections, according to "Axios".

Last week, US Vice President JD Vance sent a message to Iranian national security official Mohsen Rezaei regarding the possibility of resuming negotiations. This step represented the highest level of US communication with Iran in several months.

Trump told reporters on Saturday that negotiations with Iran are "going well," noting that he is not in "a big rush".

He added that the Iranians want to reach an agreement, but they are "not very reliable... they make a deal and then back out".

At the same time, Trump said the United States still needs to "deal with" one or two nuclear sites in Iran.

He added, referring to a site suspected of being a nuclear facility inside a mountain: "We can do it in 10 minutes. We have a plan for it. You can look at Axe Mountain. We have to deal with that site, and we can execute it very quickly".

The "Wall Street Journal" was the first to report the call between Trump and Netanyahu, but it did not disclose details of what was discussed.

Diplomatic Moves
Qatari mediators met with Iranian officials on Sunday for the third consecutive day, in an effort to reach an agreement paving the way for the resumption of direct negotiations between the United States and Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that no agreement has been reached yet, stressing that reaching an agreement depends on the US answering Iran's questions.

He added: "We are making every effort in this regard, and we hope the other side will show enough rationality to choose diplomacy over other paths".