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As US President Donald Trump evaluates options for ending the ongoing war with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly maintained daily communication with the American leader, urging him to resume strikes against Tehran, according to recent investigative reporting.
As highlighted in an assessment published by the Financial Times, Netanyahu has been calling on Trump to resume strikes on Iran. Netanyahu calls him every day [to urge him to resume the war]. Those who dont want a war within the White House and outside have been trying to combat that, a person briefed on the discussions told the FT. The publication noted that this diplomatic pressure comes as regional Arab authorities urge the US President to pursue diplomacy and end the war. These calls to Trump come amid persistent, low-intensity American military operations targeting Iranian territory. Notably, Qeshm Island was struck by US missiles on November 6 and November 3. While the American leader refrained from directly addressing the November 6 strikes on Qeshm Island during public remarks, he confirmed a separate military operation. We do minor strikes, but they knock out. They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five, Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida. Netanyahu's push to resume strikes on Iran gained momentum following a political shift in which the ongoing war emerged as a primary factor behind the ruling party losing its legislative majority on Capitol Hill. Furthermore, the Israeli Prime Minister is navigating domestic political turbulence after national elections resulted in a legislative deadlock, with the Likud leader failing to form a governing coalition. Diplomatic records further indicate that Netanyahu and Trump also spoke last week about allied strategies concerning Tehran. American administration sources described the conversation to Axios as "frank". According to White House insiders who spoke to Axios, Netanyahu urged Trump to launch military strikes immediately after the legislative midterm results, although the executive branch opted to allow diplomatic negotiations to proceed. Following a major setback for the administration in the legislative midterms, alongside recent US military actions in the region, Trump indicated that further strikes against Iran remained unlikely. Iran militarily is effectively over, Trump told reporters at a White House briefing on Monday. Were just keeping it the status quo. The remarks followed a closed-door meeting between the US President and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed, during which they discussed the current draft proposal aimed at resolving the conflict. Under the framework of the agreement, Tehran has proposed guaranteeing unimpeded commercial vessel navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, provided Washington lifts its naval embargo on Iranian ports. Additionally, Iranian officials have demanded the return of frozen foreign reserves and the formal resumption of negotiations on a final agreement addressing the complex nuclear issue. According to the FT, the Qatari leader was among the key Arab heads of state who urged the White House to maintain dialogue and refrain from launching fresh military operations against Tehran. Parallel diplomatic outreach also involved Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan. (ANI)
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