Netanyahu, Trump reportedly clash over Iran in tense call: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump reportedly clashed during a call over the weekend amid disagreements about the possibility of resuming military operations against Iran, media reports said Tuesday.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, citing sources familiar with the conversation, said the call focused primarily on Iran and differences between Washington and Tel Aviv about a possible renewal of the war.

Sources described the conversation as particularly difficult and confrontational, with one calling it "a screaming conversation from hell."

Netanyahu's office, however, rejected the account, denying the conversation was contentious.

"Fake news, complete nonsense," it said in response.

A senior Israeli official also confirmed that the call had taken place but insisted that it had not been difficult.

The report came one day after the Financial Times reported that Netanyahu had been calling Trump "every day" to urge him to resume military action against Iran, citing a person briefed on the discussions.

The British newspaper said Arab and Muslim leaders were alarmed by Netanyahu's persistent lobbying, with regional leaders urging Trump to prioritize diplomacy rather than renewed military action.

On Monday, Trump said Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, opposed a new military campaign against Tehran.

He cited "positive momentum" toward ending the conflict and said renewed US strikes on Iran appeared "quite unlikely."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington saw no immediate need to resume major combat operations against Iran, arguing that economic pressure was achieving its objectives.

Rubio said the US would continue its economic campaign against Tehran while warning that American forces remained ready to respond if Iran crossed Washington's "red lines."

Separately, Qatar said Tuesday that it had received positive responses from Washington and Tehran on mediation efforts, although uncertainty remained about the prospects of an agreement.

The US and Israel launched a military offensive against Iran on Feb. 28. Despite subsequent diplomatic efforts and a memorandum signed by Washington and Tehran, negotiations have yet to produce a settlement.