U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike Iran as he voiced optimism about securing a new nuclear deal with Tehran.
Speaking to reporters, Trump confirmed he had spoken with Netanyahu last week, urging him to avoid any military action that could derail diplomacy. “Well, I’d like to be honest, yes I did,” Trump said when asked if he had warned Netanyahu.
Pressed for details, Trump said, “I just said I don’t think it’s appropriate, we’re having very good discussions with them. I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution. I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, save a lot of lives.”
Iran, meanwhile, signaled it could allow American inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities under U.N. supervision if a deal is reached. Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, said Tehran “will reconsider accepting American inspectors through the agency” if its demands are met.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, currently visiting Oman, thanked the Gulf state for its mediation efforts. Iran’s top negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, said a new round of negotiations could be announced in the coming days.
Despite the talks, Iranian officials have reiterated that uranium enrichment is “non-negotiable.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran would not accept any deal that curbs its right to enrich uranium.
Iran currently enriches uranium up to 60%, well above the 3.67% limit set under the 2015 nuclear agreement brokered by former President Barack Obama, but still below the 90% needed for a weapon.
The Trump administration withdrew from that deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran, including measures aimed at blocking Iranian oil sales. In recent weeks, the U.S. and Iran have held five rounds of high-level talks — the most significant contact since the deal’s collapse.
Israel has long viewed Iran, a major backer of Hamas in Gaza, as its top adversary and has threatened to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. While Israel has launched attacks on Iranian-linked sites in Syria, it has not carried out direct strikes on Iran itself.