  Avi Ohayon (GPO) Israeli PM supports Trump’s call for a deal to stop Tehran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon, with ‘consequences’ if diplomacy fails; Netanyahu views Trump's Gaza plan as serious, not a negotiating tactic By Lahav Harkov Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports President Donald Trump’s return to a maximum-pressure sanctions campaign and an attempt to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, as long as there is a credible military threat if Iran does not comply, an Israeli diplomatic source told Jewish Insider following the leaders’ meeting in the White House this week. In the meeting, Netanyahu conveyed to Trump that Israel may take “action” against Iran “if and when there won’t be a choice,” the source said on Thursday. “The prime minister thinks that we need to bring back the policies of the first Trump administration, the maximum pressure strategy,” the source said. “We are in favor of putting as much pressure as possible on Iran.” Trump signed an executive order to bring back the maximum-pressure sanctions regime aimed at “driving Iran’s oil exports to zero” earlier this week. He expressed a lack of enthusiasm about the sanctions, but said that “it’s very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” When asked by JI at the White House if he would support an Israeli strike on Iran, Trump was noncommittal, saying, “We’ll see what happens.” The following day, he wrote a Truth Social post in which he said he would “much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed … Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens, ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED.” You May Have MissedSENIOR COUNSELThe former civil rights lawyer leading the Trump administration’s fight against antisemitismLeo Terrell is now senior counsel to Trump’s assistant attorney general for civil rights. MEDIA PAYOFFCNN inks deal with Qatar to launch network hub in Doha The financial arrangement raises concerns about the network’s ability to report freely on the Gulf state and the region. Read more...     |
2.06.2025
Netanyahu and Trump ‘see eye to eye on Iranian threat’ — Israeli official
