PM Netanyahu signals cautious support for new US-Iran talks amid contradictory signs from Tehran

Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s bombshell revelation that he is leading talks with the Iranian regime that could potentially bring an end to the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled cautious support, while regime representatives from Iran sent contradictory messages.

Netanyahu said in a statement that he had spoken with Trump, who told him he “believes there is an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the U.S. military to realize the goals of the war through an agreement, an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests.”

The prime minister stressed that Israel would “safeguard our vital interests under all circumstances,” adding that Israeli forces continue to strike in Iran and Lebanon: “We are smashing the missile program and the nuclear program, and we continue to deal severe blows to Hezbollah. Just a few days ago, we eliminated two more nuclear scientists –  and we are still active.”

Earlier today I spoke with our friend President Trump.

President Trump believes there is an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the US military to realize the goals of the war through an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests. pic.twitter.com/15Z7fRvvQX

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 23, 2026

Meanwhile, Iranian representatives have largely denied that talks have been taking place. Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, who The Jerusalem Post reported has been leading the covert contacts, said, “No negotiations have been held with the US.” Notably, he did not deny reports that a meeting is being planned for later this week.

However, Saeed Jalili, a senior Iranian official, appeared to welcome Trump’s statement while reinterpreting it as surrender.

“First, they said: ‘The Strait of Hormuz must be opened.’ Then, they said: ‘I will insure and escort the ships.’ Now, they say: ‘I am willing to manage it jointly with Iran.’ This is the very definition of a retreat: Iran’s power has brought the United States to the table of realities,” Jalili, the supreme leader’s representative on the National Security Council, wrote on 𝕏.

First, they said: “The Strait of Hormuz must be opened.”
Then, they said: “I will insure and escort the ships.”
Now, they say: “I am willing to manage it jointly with Iran.”

This is the very definition of a retreat: Iran’s power has brought the United States to the table of… https://t.co/dI8UgFQY0W

— Saeed Jalili | سعید جلیلی (@DrSaeedJalili) March 23, 2026

Meanwhile, several, partially contradictory statements reported by Israel’s Channel 12 indicate that the cautious optimism expressed by Netanyahu is not shared across the defense establishment and Israel’s broader leadership.

Some officials said they expect Trump not to blindside Israel with a deal, which they believe will align with Israel’s core war objectives. Trump “remembers who was in battle with him,” one official said.

However, a security source told the channel that Israel is not sure “if there will be a deal in the near future or if this is a characteristic ‘Trump maneuver.’”

“But if there is a deal, and it does not involve the removal from Iran of its enriched uranium, any big words about ‘devastation’ and ‘degraded capability’ will not be true. The truth will be that it is an epic failure.”

This report said that, upon learning of the talks last Thursday, Netanyahu reached out to his most trusted aide, Ron Dermer, to lead Israel’s effort to work alongside the U.S. for a good deal.

Channel 12’s veteran Arab affairs correspondent, Ehud Yaari, cited U.S. sources indicating that Tehran is showing some flexibility in the talks, including a willingness to suspend its missile program for five years and discuss reducing uranium enrichment, though without specifying the extent of such reductions.

In addition, Iran is reportedly willing to discuss its stockpile of roughly 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% – believed to be buried under rubble at the Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities – as well as potential oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency of remaining centrifuges and a halt to its support for regional proxy groups.

In a separate report, Channel 12 said a regime change is not a central goal of Israel as part of the negotiations.

A security official also voiced doubts about whether a viable agreement is truly within reach, and whether Iran’s leadership, if there is any, would even honor it.