Prateek Tanmay
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in 2025. (Reuters file) US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday about Turkey and American military moves in the Persian Gulf, Netanyahu’s office said. Trump is learnt to have told Netanyahu that the US ought to “finish the job” in Iran as the ceasefire is essentially “over”. The discussions were held between the two leaders over a phone call amid the fresh escalation of the West Asia crisis.
The call followed new US airstrikes on Iran, launched hours after Trump said Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz had effectively ended the truce. Iran retaliated by targeting US-allied Kuwait and Qatar and accused Washington of striking near its only nuclear power plant. Trump has sent conflicting signals approving repeated strikes while denying a return to full-scale war deepening uncertainty over what comes next, according to news agency Associated Press (AP).
Trump has said he believes the ceasefire is over and the US should “finish the job,” even as he insists this doesn’t mean a full-scale war.
Netanyahu’s office said he raised concerns over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rhetoric against Israel, days after Trump signalled he may approve F-35 jet sales to Ankara. Netanyahu has warned this would endanger Israel. Trump also updated Netanyahu on US Gulf deployments, the office said.
Lebanon talks, Iran’s diplomatic outreach
Meanwhile, a US official said the Israel-Lebanon framework deal will move to technical talks in Rome, with Hezbollah’s disarmament remaining a flashpoint.
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Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held calls with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman and Pakistan’s military chief, repeating Tehran’s claim that Washington broke the truce first a charge the US denies, citing Iranian strikes on commercial vessels.
(With inputs from Associated Press)
