US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week not to take actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran.
"I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution now," Trump told reporters. "That could change at any moment."
This comes after the N12 news site reported on Tuesday that the US president had warned Netanyahu not to take any action that could disrupt nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic.
Prime Minister's office denies report as talks continue
Then, the New York Times reported that the prime minister threatened to strike Iran's nuclear facilities during conversations with Trump last Tuesday.
However, the Prime Minister's Office later denied the reports, calling them "fake news."
"Once again, panic channels are spreading fake news and demagoguery," a senior official told The Jerusalem Post.
"This time, they are trying to claim that Trump’s words 'contradict' the Prime Minister’s Office response this morning regarding the article in The New York Times. The propaganda writers once again don’t let facts confuse them, but why rely on facts when you can just echo false propaganda?" the official said.
According to a senior White House official, Trump emphasized to Netanyahu that “the second option is still on the table,” but he prefers to first see if a diplomatic solution can be reached.
The official added that during the call, “President Trump encouraged Netanyahu to act cautiously.”
N12 reported that the call between Trump and Netanyahu was “tense.”
Talks between Tehran and Washington entered their fifth round earlier in May. US and Iranian officials expressed optimism at the talks, but Israeli officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about losing its chance to strike the Islamic Republic.
Last week, Walla reported that Israel is preparing for the possibility of a rapid strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities if negotiations between Iran and the US fail in the coming weeks. In Israel, it is estimated that the window of opportunity for a successful strike might close soon.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that there was potential for progress in nuclear negotiations with the US after mediator Oman made several proposals, adding that the talks were complicated and more discussions were needed.
"We've just completed one of the most professional rounds of negotiations," Araghchi said.
Amichai Stein and Barak Ravid contributed to this report.
