Israel excluded from Iran talks as rift emerges between Netanyahu and Trump – report

Netanyahu convened a meeting of his security Cabinet on Saturday over what he viewed as a proposal unfavorable to Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials have been largely excluded from ongoing US-Iran truce negotiations, as differences reportedly emerged between Israeli and American priorities during discussions over a possible agreement to end the conflict.

Israel and the United States were closely aligned when the conflict began on February 28, but Israel was not represented during a telephone summit held Saturday by President Donald Trump with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey regarding an updated memorandum of understanding. Reuters reported that Pakistan also participated in the discussion.

Israeli broadcaster N12 reported that Netanyahu convened a meeting of his security Cabinet Saturday over what he viewed as a proposal unfavorable to Israel.

An Israeli official cited by N12 said US envoy Steve Witkoff was strongly backing the proposed arrangement and “wants a deal at almost any price, and is placing immense pressure on Trump not to resume the war.”

The New York Times reported that Netanyahu had publicly portrayed himself as closely coordinated with Trump during the conflict, telling Israelis the two leaders spoke “almost every day” and were “deciding together.”

Israeli and American priorities later diverged after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and oil prices rose.

The newspaper reported that Trump shifted toward pursuing an end to the fighting while some members of his administration viewed regime change in Iran as unrealistic.

Netanyahu entered the war with three stated objectives: overthrowing the Iranian regime, dismantling Iran’s nuclear program and eliminating its missile program.

However, the agreement currently under discussion reportedly does not include provisions addressing Iran’s uranium enrichment activities or ballistic missile program.

According to N12, the proposed arrangement would involve Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for financial benefits while discussions concerning Tehran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium stockpile would be postponed until a later stage.

The New York Times also reported that Trump restrained several Israeli military initiatives during the conflict, including operations involving Iranian energy infrastructure and proposals related to Kurdish fighters entering Iran from Iraq.