Trump says no to joint US-Israeli strike on Iran, prefers deal: report

Trump reportedly shut down Netanyahu’s push for a strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, opting instead for diplomacy over military action.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would not support a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, instead favoring a deal that would see the restriction of Tehran’s nuclear development program, according to a bombshell report.

Netanyahu has long hinted that Israel will take military action against Iran to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining a nuclear weapon, adding that a decisive move against the country’s nuclear sites would require American assistance.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that during a recent meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, Trump shelved plans for a joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran’s nuclear sites. The outlet reported that Netanyahu had been pushing for the strike, which also included plans for Israeli commandos on Iranian soil to destroy underground nuclear sites, to take place as early as May.

According to the Times, senior American officials, including Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, and Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, were open to reviewing the Israeli attack plans and discussing where the U.S. could offer support.

However, Iran’s willingness to engage in discussions for a nuclear deal caused Trump to shelve the attack plans in favor of diplomacy, the Times reported.

Some administration officials, including Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, feared that an American or Israeli attack on Iran could spark a wider regional conflict. Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also reportedly voiced concerns about a direct attack on Iran.

Responding to the Times report, Opposition politician Benny Gantz wrote on social media platform X that Israel must act against Iran in collaboration with the U.S.

“The Iranian Regime are experts at stalling. The State of Israel must,and can remove the prospect of Iranian nuclear capabilities,” Gantz wrote. “Coordinating closely with our great ally the United States, it is time to change the Middle East.”