Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told confidants in private conversations that Israel has little ability to influence Donald Trump’s decision-making on Iran as the United States’ president negotiates a deal in the nearly three-month-old war, two sources said.
Netanyahu’s comments, described to Reuters by two Israeli officials with knowledge of the conversations, come as Israel has largely been left out of talks to reach an initial deal to halt a war that began with joint US-Israeli bombardment.
Both the US and Iran have played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in talks, and they remain at odds over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Tehran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions and Israel’s war in Lebanon with Hezbollah militants.
Netanyahu is demanding the right to continue operations against perceived threats on all fronts, including Lebanon, a caveat that could derail a deal if Iran insists on a complete halt to Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon.
One of the Israeli officials, involved in Netanyahu’s private conversations, said the Israeli leader had expressed concerns about the memorandum of understanding currently being negotiated. Both of the sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The agreement would see Iran open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its naval blockade, a senior Trump administration official said, followed by further negotiations on nuclear issues. The US and Iran have been holding indirect talks mediated by Pakistan.
Iranian sources have told Reuters that in future stages, “feasible formulas” could be found to resolve the dispute over its highly enriched uranium stockpile, including diluting the material under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.
Despite the agreement not immediately addressing Israel’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme and stockpile, Netanyahu acknowledges that Israel “has no manoeuvre to influence the president right now,” the Israeli official said.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump and Netanyahu have spoken by phone at least three times in the last week, a period during which Israeli officials said the country had made preparations for a return to joint airstrikes with the US on Iran, targeting energy infrastructure.
After the first of their three conversations, on Tuesday night, Trump was asked by reporters what he told Netanyahu.
“He’s a very good man, he’ll do whatever I want him to do,” Trump said.
The two men spoke again on Friday night. On Saturday, after Trump held a joint call with leaders from the Gulf, Turkey and Pakistan to update them on the status of the Iran negotiations, Trump and Netanyahu spoke for a third time.
