Washington: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reviewed every major option for dealing with Iran’s nuclear programme when they met at the White House on Tuesday, including talks, economic squeeze and military action, a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Netanyahu did not tell Trump that Israel’s present preference was to launch more attacks on Iran, the official said in comments to reporters after the meeting.
In the end, it’s his decision, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of Trump.
The official said the US president had three choices and that all of them were discussed in detail: “a (negotiated) deal, continuing the blockade and economic pressures, and a massive strike.” Netanyahu also put forward some new ideas, the official added.
Trump had already shown irritation before the meeting, after details leaked publicly about Netanyahu’s plan to discuss fresh intelligence on Pickaxe Mountain, a deep-underground, nuclear-linked facility that Trump has threatened to bomb.
No Pressure On Trump
Rejecting any suggestion of a rift, the official said the two allies regularly exchange intelligence, denied that Netanyahu had pushed Trump toward a bigger military escalation against Iran, and said the door remained open to a diplomatic outcome.
The official also said Trump was the “senior partner” and Netanyahu the “junior partner” in the allies’ confrontation with Iran.
The official said there were signs Iran’s clerical rulers were feeling pressure from soaring inflation and public anger, though the wider effect on global markets and oil prices remained a concern.
Oil prices surged on Wednesday in one of the steepest jumps since the war began on February 28, after a joint Israeli-US aerial bombing campaign in Iran. Tehran answered with strikes on Israel and Gulf states.
Strikes Widen Crisis
Israel did not take part in the latest two-week US bombing campaign this month, which triggered Iranian strikes on US bases in response, but it has warned Tehran it will hit back hard if attacked.
Israel sees Iran’s nuclear programme as its greatest threat and wants to make sure Tehran never acquires a nuclear bomb, the official said. Iran says it is not pursuing one.
On Wednesday, US forces joined Saudi Arabia in hitting Iran-linked militia sites in Iraq, as Trump warned he would “beat the fucking shit” out of Iran after it attacked American troops, according to the report.
Iran said it had retaliated by striking US bases in Jordan and targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. It also dismissed an Omani plan to jointly manage the strategic waterway.