President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week to back off any moves to strike Iran as negotiations on its nuclear program remain ongoing.
‘I’d like to be honest, yes, I did,’ he said in response to a reporter’s question on the issue. ‘It’s not a warning. I said I don’t think it’s appropriate.’
Trump said he is pushing for a diplomatic agreement to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The remarks came after reports this week suggested that Netanyahu threatened to upend the talks by striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, as reports have also suggested there is growing friction between the two world leaders.
Israel has received immense international and internal backlash over its aggressive military operations in the Gaza Strip in its pursuit to completely eradicate Hamas, which is backed by Iran, and it has threatened to take the fight to Iran’s doorstep.
But it is unclear why it was considering hitting Tehran’s nuclear facilities last week as the U.S. prepared to meet with Omani and Iranian officials to negotiate terms.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the Iranian foreign minister warned the U.N. Security Council on Thursday of ‘catastrophic consequences’ should Israel strike its nuclear infrastructure, and warned the ‘government of the United States would bear legal responsibility – having been complicit therein.’
Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday rejected a report by The New York Times which reported on Netanyahu’s alleged ambitions to hit Iran as ‘fake news.’
Though the president’s comments to reporters just hours later could suggest otherwise.
The Trump administration described the most recent negotiations with Iran as positive and on Sunday the president told reporters, ‘We’ve had some very, very good talks with Iran.’
‘I don’t know if I’ll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good,’ Trump added.
Yonat Frilling contributed to this report.