Trump reportedly tells Netanyahu 'it's time to end this war' after reaching Iran deal

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that it was time to end the Iran war, according to the news outlet Axios. The American president said he had reached a “great” deal with the Iranian regime.

"This is the deal," Trump said. "It's a great deal, and it's time to end this war."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an informed U.S. official told Axios that Netanyahu expressed his ongoing concern regarding Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions but refrained from directly challenging Trump during their conversation.

"Bibi probably understood that a deal was about to happen and that he could not stop it," the official assessed, referring to the prime minister.

Israel has not been an official part of the negotiations between the U.S. and the Iranian regime and was reportedly surprised by Trump’s announcement that Washington had reached a deal with Tehran that may be signed in the near future.

“It’s a very strong memorandum of understanding that is a little conceptual,” Trump said, arguing that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has personally agreed to the emerging deal with Washington.

U.S. and Israeli officials have previously questioned whether Khamenei, who was injured in the Israeli Feb. 28 strike, has been involved in Tehran's decision-making. Some officials in Washington and Jerusalem believe that Khamenei serves as a figurehead for the hawkish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which reportedly seized power after former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was eliminated.

Israeli officials are reportedly concerned that the Iran deal will not properly address Iranian threats that extend beyond the nuclear issue and include missile attacks launched by regional terror proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

"I understand the Israeli skepticism," a senior U.S. official acknowledged on Friday in a briefing with reporters. "Hezbollah killed a lot of innocent Israelis, especially Israeli civilians. So we don't expect any country to give up their right of self-defense.”

He continued, "What we do expect is that if we're able to have everyone participate in the peace process, that everyone else will do the same," adding that the Trump administration believes Israel will "get on board" with the emerging ceasefire agreement with Tehran.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that the pending agreement was based on Trump’s "assessment of American interests” which include a swift end of the war ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. However, Katz emphasized that the Jewish state reserves the right to act independently according to its own national interests against Iranian threats.

The Israeli government is also concerned that the deal between Washington and Tehran could undermine the Israeli military's freedom of action against Hezbollah in Lebanon

The senior U.S. official told Axios that Tehran’s support for Hezbollah's attacks on Israel would violate the agreement.

"We feel like when they see the full terms of the deal, and when they appreciate that fundamentally, that there has to be delivery from the Iranians before we deliver any of the benefits, that they're comfortable with that," the U.S. official concluded.

Iran has previously been accused by the United States and other governments of violating international commitments and failing to comply fully with aspects of past nuclear agreements. Trump administration officials have defended the proposed agreement by saying Iran would not receive sanctions relief or other benefits until it fulfills its commitments under the deal.