US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have no option but to accept any agreement the United States reaches with Iran, asserting that the final decisions rest with Washington. Trump’s remarks came in a telephone interview with the Financial Times, just hours before Israel announced fresh military strikes against Iran. Later in the day, Israel said its Air Force had targeted military sites in western and central Iran. In the interview, Trump said what he described as Washington’s decisive role in negotiations with Tehran.
“He won’t have any choice. He [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots. I call the shots. I call all the shots,” Trump told the Financial Times.
Iran-Israel Trade Missiles
Trump’s interview took place shortly after Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles toward Israel, marking what was described as the most serious violation of the ceasefire reached in early April. The exchange came after the Israeli military reported intercepting multiple waves of missiles fired from Iran. According to Israeli officials, it was the first such missile attack from Iran since early April.
Hours later, Israel responded by launching strikes against Iranian targets. In a statement posted on X, Israel said its Air Force had struck “military targets” in western and central parts of the Islamic Republic.
Trump, Netanyahu Falling Apart?
The developments unfolded against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between Trump and Netanyahu. Officials said the two leaders spoke again on Sunday. Unlike their previous conversation last week, the latest call reportedly remained civil and did not descend into the use of expletives.
During a call last week, Trump reportedly referred to Netanyahu as “fucking crazy.” The remark was first leaked to the media and was later publicly confirmed by Trump himself. According to Axios, Trump confronted Netanyahu over Israeli threats to resume airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
“Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” Trump was quoted as saying.
Trump also urged Netanyahu not to target Beirut after Iran warned that Israeli strikes in Lebanon were jeopardizing efforts to end the conflict. The war, which began with joint US-Israeli attacks, has faced significant opposition among Americans.
Trump Says US Is Close to an Agreement With Iran
Amid the renewed hostilities, Trump said he believed Washington was on the verge of reaching a final agreement with Tehran. Speaking to Axios shortly after Iran launched missiles at Israel, Trump said he did not want the latest developments to derail the diplomatic process.
“Don’t want to blow it up because of what is happening now,” Trump said.
Commenting on Iran’s missile strikes, Trump downplayed their impact, saying the attacks had not caused casualties. He also expressed confidence that Israel would refrain from launching a retaliatory response.
“If Netanyahu strikes them back, it’s just gonna keep going like the last 47 years, or the last 3,000 years,” Trump said.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
