Trump and Nétanyahou Clash Over Iran Négociation Plan
Donald Trump reportedly had a tense Tuesday evening call with Benyamin Nétanyahou over the next steps in the Iran conflict, with négociation now part of the discussion. Trump told Nétanyahou that mediators were working on a possible letter of intent to end the war and open 30 days of negotiations.
The dispute matters because Washington is trying to advance a peace agreement with Iran while Nétanyahou was pushing for the continuation of strikes. A U.S. source said, "Bibi était dans tous ses états après l'appel".
Qatar and Pakistan draft
A new draft agreement was written by Qatar and Pakistan with support from other regional mediators. Those mediators were trying to reduce differences between Washington and Tehran, and the proposed letter would launch talks on Iran's nuclear program and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump reportedly told Nétanyahou that Washington and Tehran could sign the letter of intent to formally end the war before the 30-day period began. That sequence would move the conflict from strikes to bargaining, but only if both capitals accept the same framework.
Trump and Nétanyahou divide
Two Israeli sources said the two leaders were deeply divided over what should happen next. Luc Laliberté said the pressure is very high on Republicans and the Trump administration, and said Republicans and the administration had promised a quick settlement of the Iran conflict in five to six weeks.
"C’est Bibi — ou Nétanyahou — qui l’avait convaincu de se lancer aux côtés d’Israël dans une attaque contre l’Iran," Laliberté said in an interview on Wednesday. He also said, "C’est un boulet, ce dossier-là. Il n’y a pas de sortie au moment où on se parle de sortie gagnante pour les États-Unis".
Washington and Tehran talks
Laliberté said Trump appears to have opened the door to a negotiation plan or peace plan that Nétanyahou did not accept. "On se rend compte que ce n’est pas ça qui fonctionne et qu’on avait avisé Trump que ça pourrait très bien ne pas fonctionner non plus [...] Un plan qui était audacieux, risqué, Donald Trump semble, au moment où on se parle, s’y être empêtré et Nétanyahou aimerait poursuivre. Et on sent que le président américain en a probablement plus que son voyage," he said.
He said Trump has been drawn into a conflict that he is now struggling to leave, and said the original goal of causing regime change by eliminating top Iranian leaders does not appear to have been achieved. The next step hinges on whether Washington and Tehran take up the proposed letter of intent and the 30-day negotiation track that Qatar, Pakistan, and other regional mediators are trying to assemble.
