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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he has resolved differences with US Vice President JD Vance regarding Israel's stance on Iran, rejecting assertions that his administration attempted to manipulate American foreign policy during the ongoing conflict.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News broadcast on Thursday, Netanyahu dismissed allegations that Israel tried to steer Washington's decision-making on Tehran, emphasising that US policy is determined exclusively by President Donald Trump. The Israeli leader addressed recent comments made by Vance during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, noting that he had addressed the matter in a direct dialogue with the vice president. "We're not, actually. And I had a very good conversation with the Vice President this morning. And I think we straightened that out because that's not our policy," Netanyahu said. "Individuals in our system can have their opinions, but government policy is dictated by me. And that's not our policy," he added. According to a report by Axios, Netanyahu and Vance conducted a private bilateral meeting at Blair House in Washington on Tuesday. An Israeli official characterised the discussions as "frank and candid", while an American official described the dialogue as "direct". Citing US and Israeli sources, Axios reported that Netanyahu brought up Vance's recent public critiques of his administration, along with concerns regarding Israel's influence among senior Republican figures, during the closed-door talks. A second US official informed the outlet that the leaders engaged in a "cordial and productive conversation" covering Middle Eastern developments, agreeing to sustain collaboration on common strategic goals. The official emphasised that the engagement was not adversarial and that Netanyahu and Vance retain a functional working partnership despite recent friction. The high-level meeting comes amid months of visible strain between Vance and Netanyahu following the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war in late February. Earlier this month, Vance claimed during his podcast interview that certain factions within Netanyahu's cabinet were "manipulating" American public perception and financing campaign initiatives to derail diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran. He further cautioned Israeli detractors of the proposed peace accord against alienating their "only powerful ally" remaining on the international stage. The diplomatic divergence widened as Vance assumed a prominent role advocating for the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, a framework that Netanyahu privately resisted while anticipating the collapse of the pact. (ANI)
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