Trump increasingly likely to attack Iran – talks with Tehran not going well – but are Trump & Bibi on same page?
WASHINGTON, DC — On Friday, I landed here in the American capital just about the time that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu and his team were arriving back in Israel after their “emergency” trip to Washington and three-hour meeting with President Donald J. Trump.
We know Trump and Netanyahu talked about next steps on Iran and Gaza.
We don’t know exactly what they said.
Nor do we know why they didn’t hold a joint press conference – that wasn’t normal.
Here are three possible reasons they didn’t stick to the normal drill:
POSSIBILITY #1: They strongly disagree on Iran and don’t want to talk about those disagreements.
POSSIBILITY #2: They totally agree on Iran and don’t want to talk about their plans because Trump is about to launch a massive military attack on the Iranian regime and, as the World War II saying goes, “loose lips sink ships.”
POSSIBILITY #3: They totally, or mostly, agree on Iran – but have sharp disagreements about Gaza – and thus don’t want to tip their hand.
After three days on the ground here, my sense is that Trump and Netanyahu are, in fact, on the same page regarding Iran.
I think they met to finalize – and synchronize – plans to attack and destroy Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, launchers, and missile-making factories.
It’s possible, too, that Trump was giving Israel the green light to simultaneously attack and further decimate Hezbollah’s missiles, launchers, terrorist ground forces, and command and control centers.
Both moves would effectively rid the region of its most dangerous players.
They would also clear the path for many other countries to make peace with Israel and join the Abraham Accords, including Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
TENSIONS OVER GAZA?
It’s not clear to me that Trump and Netanyahu see eye-to-eye on the next steps on Gaza.
Bibi is genuinely upset that Trump put Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Qataris on the Board of Peace.
Why?
Because both Turkey and Qatar are hostile Islamist regimes that have long supported Hamas and other Sunni terror groups.
Netanyahu returned to Israel after reluctantly joining the Board of Peace, in part because he didn’t want to appear on stage this coming week here in Washington with leaders of such countries he either despises or has serious disagreements with.
But the far bigger issue right now is Iran.
And Evangelicals need to be praying for both leaders to have James 3:17 “wisdom from above.”
This is a high-stakes moment.
Severely damaging the wicked Iranian regime and its proxies – or even setting into motion the demise of the Tyrants and Terrorists of Tehran – would dramatically advance U.S. national security and American national interests.
It would also make life for America’s Israeli and Arab allies dramatically safer and more secure.
WHAT IS TRUMP SAYING AND DOING THAT MAKES AN ATTACK ON IRAN MORE LIKELY?
President Trump loves to send mixed signals.
That keeps both enemies and allies guessing about his next moves.
And gives Trump maximum flexibility and leverage.
That’s why his team has been engaging in diplomatic talks with Iran in the tiny Gulf country of Oman, even while ordering a second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
Watch, too, Trump’s language.
He says he wants a deal.
But his skepticism about whether it’s really possible seems to me to be growing.
“We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic,” Trump said on Thursday.
“I don’t want that to happen, but we have to make a deal,” Trump added. “This will be very traumatic for Iran if they don’t make a deal.”
“They should have made a deal the first time – they got Midnight Hammer instead,” he noted, referring to the military operation he ordered last June that successfully decimated Iran’s nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment facilities.
“We had a very good meeting yesterday with Bibi Netanyahu, and he understands. But it’s ultimately up to me,” Trump said. “If the deal isn’t a very fair deal and a very good deal with Iran, it’s going to be a very difficult time for them.”
When a reporter asked how long the president would give Iran to agree to a serious and effective and verifiable deal, Trump said, “I guess over the next month – they should agree very quickly.”
TRUMP: “SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO HAVE FEAR”
As ALL ISRAEL NEWS reported on Saturday, the United States has directed its military forces in the Middle East to prepare for potentially extended operations against Iran, positioning them for action should President Donald Trump order strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Speaking to U.S. forces at a base in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said it has "been difficult to make a deal."
"Sometimes you have to have fear. That's the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of," Trump told the American troops.
WHAT IS VP VANCE SAYING?
I find it noteworthy that Vice President JD Vance appears to be increasingly supportive of U.S. military action to neutralize Iran’s offensive military and terror capabilities.
But he does not seem to think the U.S. should attack Iran specifically to overthrow the regime.
“If the Iranian people want to overthrow their regime, that’s up to them,” Vance said last week.
Vance added that the president had been telling his senior team that he wants a good deal with Tehran, but if not, there will be consequences.
Vance gave no evidence that he disagrees.
WHAT IS NETANYAHU SAYING?
Just before flying back to Israel on Thursday night, Netanyahu spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
“I have just concluded a short but important visit to Washington, during which I spoke with our great friend, President Trump,” Bibi said.
“The president believes the Iranians already understand who they are dealing with,” he noted.
“[Trump] thinks the conditions he is setting – combined with their understanding that they made a mistake last time by not reaching an agreement – could lead them to accept terms that would make it possible to achieve a good deal.”
Bibi, however, made it clear that he has no expectations that Tehran is ready to cut any deal, much less a serious one.
“I do not hide my general skepticism about the possibility of reaching any agreement with Iran.”
Netanyahu added that he and his team told Trump that any agreement “must include the components that are important to us, to Israel, and in my view also to the entire international community – not only the nuclear issue, but also ballistic missiles and Iran’s regional proxies.”
“This was another conversation with a great friend of Israel – a president like no other,” Netanyahu added.
“We have a close, genuine, and open relationship.”
I agree with that analysis.
My sources suggest that Trump and Netanyahu see Iran exactly the same and that Trump is not pursuing negotiations with Tehran because he thinks a deal is really possible, but because he knows such a deal is not possible.
Trump wants to reveal Tehran’s malice and intransigence.
When he does – when the world sees what he sees, that the Iranian regime is murderous, malevolent, and an unacceptable threat to American national security, interests, and allies – then Trump will act. And act decisively.
The fate of the region hangs in the balance.
And the clock is ticking.
Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
