Netanyahu reportedly urges Trump to resume Iran strikes as talks continue

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been urging US President Donald Trump to resume strikes on Iran, according to Financial Times reporting relayed by Hindustan Times on 10 November. The report says Netanyahu has called Trump “every day” as the United States maintains a blockade and talks continue.

• The reported calls urge Trump to restart strikes, according to a person briefed on the discussions who spoke to the Financial Times.
• On 9 November, Trump said Iran was militarily “effectively over” and that military action did not seem necessary.
• The US blockade of Iranian ports remained in place as officials discussed proposals for ending the conflict.

Hindustan Times attributes the account of the calls to the Financial Times, which quoted a person briefed on discussions. That person said Netanyahu calls Trump daily to urge him to resume the war. The claim is an account of private conversations, not a public statement by either leader.

Trump’s remarks after meeting Qatar’s prime minister

Qatar’s prime minister said the meeting covered the regional situation and ways to advance US-Iran talks, and described the discussions on reaching a deal and bringing peace as positive. Al Jazeera reported that the status quo included a US naval blockade against Iranian ports and Task Force Iron Gate, which aims to cut off trade by land and through the Caspian Sea.

What the proposals would change

Hindustan Times described a draft proposal under which Iran would allow free movement of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifted its blockade on Iranian ports. The report also said Iran called for the release of frozen assets and renewed negotiations toward a final deal addressing the nuclear question. Al Jazeera reported that Iran’s seven conditions for ending the war included lifting US sanctions, releasing frozen funds, an Oman-worked shipping route through the strait, and ending the conflict on all fronts, including Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.

What it means for the conflict

The reported pressure to resume strikes comes as fighting has become sporadic. Al Jazeera reported intermittent exchanges of fire and recent US-announced “minor strikes” on Qeshm Island. Iranian officials rejected Trump’s account of the conflict: Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei dismissed the talks in a social-media post, while President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was open to negotiations but would not be coerced, according to Iranian media.

The nuclear issue remains part of the dispute. Al Jazeera reported that Trump has made curtailing Iran’s nuclear programme a central premise of the war; Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and says its enrichment programme is for civilian energy. The proposal and negotiating positions reported so far do not establish that the parties have agreed to end the war.