Netanyahu said to push for new Iran strikes as Trump claims ‘war is effectively over,’ touts diplomatic progress

The Israeli government reportedly continues to push for renewed fighting against the Iranian regime, while U.S. President Donald Trump has been touting progress in the talks with Iran and has said the war is “effectively over.”

An unnamed source cited by the Financial Times on Monday claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “calls [Trump] every day [to urge him to renew strikes]. Those who don’t want a war within the White House [sic] and outside have been trying to combat that.”

“The regional leaders are telling him not to escalate, and [instead to] prioritize negotiations,” the source added. Other sources claimed that leaders who recently urged Trump against renewing the war include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

However, the Times also cited another source “familiar with the situation in Israel” who claimed that while Netanyahu is interested in renewing the fighting, there was no “push” to convince Trump.

Following the devastating losses in the U.S. midterms, the president has sounded surprisingly conciliatory notes toward the Democrats, while signaling he is not interested in renewing the war against Iran, which he has acknowledged as one factor in the Republicans’ disappointing performance.

In recent days, Trump has touted significant progress in the talks with the regime, though Iranian officials have largely denied this.

Speaking to reporters in the White House on Tuesday, he said Iran is “talking very politely” with U.S. negotiators, and there’s a “good chance” an agreement can be reached to end the war, which is “effectively over.”

“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump reiterated. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.” Asked why he won’t declare victory and order a broad draw-down of troops in the region, he acknowledged the regime is “still the bully of the Middle East a little bit,” and said the U.S. wants to make sure its “great allies” in the region won’t be harmed.

“We want to make sure [there is] a long-term solution – not just a short-term. They’ll never have a nuclear weapon, but we have to make sure that’s a long-term,” Trump says.

However, Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei pushed back against claims of progress on 𝕏, mocking the U.S. for “flailing like a desperate gambler,” saying it should “stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks” and that it was “time to surrender to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out.”

These conditions include monetary compensation for war damages, unfreezing assets, lifting sanctions, a full withdrawal from the region and a permanent end of the war against Iran and its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq.

Rezaei's statement came after Trump met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Monday, saying, “We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected.”

“Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others would prefer the status quo,” Trump said, describing it as a “continuation” of the U.S. blockade to disrupt Iran’s trade at sea and on land.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also pushed back against Trump’s claims of progress, denying plans of a meeting between Rezaei, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Doha.

Araghchi said Trump would soon realize his “wrong approach” by relying on sanctions and economic pressure, stressing the “only way forward” would be via diplomacy and meeting the regime’s demands.

According to an analysis by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), "Iran’s messaging reflects a clear paradox. Just as negotiations appear to be becoming more serious, Tehran is hardening its rhetoric."

The explanation, according to the report, is that "This is a clear attempt to reach an agreement that the regime can portray domestically as a victory."

However, "the more the Iranian leadership convinces the public that its pressure campaign is working, the more pressing the question becomes: What has that pressure actually achieved for ordinary citizens? ... The country’s critical voices are increasingly measuring success by whether ordinary Iranians have to pay less."