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Published : 21 May 2026, 03:21 PM
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have differed over the next steps in the Iran war during a tense phone call, as Washington weighs diplomacy against possible renewed military action, CNN reports.
On Tuesday, the two leaders held an hour-long conversation in which Netanyahu urged Trump to proceed with planned attacks on Iran, according to the American broadcaster, while Trump pushed for giving negotiations more time.
CNN said Trump had earlier told Netanyahu he was likely to move ahead with fresh targeted strikes on Iran this week under an operation expected to be called “Operation Sledgehammer”.
But around 24 hours later, Trump announced he was halting the planned strikes following requests from Gulf allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The outlet said Gulf states have since remained in close contact with the White House and Pakistani mediators in an effort to establish a framework for further diplomatic talks.
“We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
“We’ll either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty. But hopefully that won’t happen,” he added.
According to CNN, Netanyahu has grown frustrated with Washington’s approach and believes delaying military action only benefits Tehran.
Israeli officials and sources familiar with the talks said the Israeli prime minister pressed Trump to resume military operations during Tuesday’s call.
The outlet said Trump later signalled that he remained in control of the process when asked about his discussion with Netanyahu.
“He’ll do whatever I want him to do,” Trump said.
Despite pressure from Israel, Trump has continued to back diplomatic efforts for now, saying the situation with Iran was “right on the borderline” and worth pursuing for a few more days if lives could be saved.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran and Washington were continuing to exchange messages through Pakistan, according to Iran’s state-affiliated Nour News outlet.
“Based on Iran’s initial 14-point text, messages have been exchanged on several occasions, and we have received the American side’s viewpoints and are currently reviewing them,” Baghaei said.
Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir is due in Tehran on Thursday as part of mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran, Iran’s ISNA News Agency reported.
CNN said Pakistan has played a central role in trying to broker a diplomatic solution, including hosting talks in April between US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Major disagreements, however, remain unresolved, particularly over Iran’s nuclear programme and frozen assets, it added.
Trump also warned that military action remained an option if negotiations fail.
“If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” he said.
