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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a security meeting on Wednesday following his phone call with US President Donald Trump.
Israeli media says the call between Trump and Netanyahu lasted around 40 minutes, with the pair discussing a wide range of topics, from the war on Gaza to developments in the Iran nuclear deal.
Asked about his call with Netanyahu, Trump didn’t offer much detail, but insisted that the call with the Israeli premier went well.
“Very well. Yeah, we discussed a lot of things, and it went very well. Very smooth. We’ll see what happens. You know, we’re trying to do something with a country we just spoke about, Iran,” said Trump.
Trump however revealed that negotiations appear to be stagnant due to the Iranians being “good negotiators”. He also again warned that a violent US approach to Tehran is not off the table.
“Sometimes they can be too tough. That’s the problem. So, we are trying to make a deal so that there’s no destruction and death. And we’ve told them that, and I’ve told them that, and I hope that’s the way it works out. But it might not work out that way.”
Joining the security meeting with Netanyahu – according to Israeli media – are Defence Minister Israel Katz, Shas party chairperson Aryeh Deri and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
Far-right figures who will also reportedly be taking part in the meeting include National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Ben Gvir and Smotrich are not typically included in such high-level meetings.
The meeting comes as Tehran is expected to respond to Washington’s proposal for a nuclear deal. The Iranian response is expected to arrive in the form of a counter to the US proposal.
Washington has reportedly proposed to allow Tehran to continue enriching uranium, but at low levels and for a limited time period. This will then be halted when a consortium is established for the enrichment of uranium for Iran and other countries outside of Iranian territory.
Tehran is expected to reject this proposal, with rumours emerging that Iranian officials will not accept a deal in which they’re told what to do on their own territory.