Trump and Netanyahu discussed resuming the war on Iran before the elections

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American and Israeli sources revealed that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed, last week, the possibility of launching a new large-scale military operation against Iran, before the Israeli elections and the US midterm elections, according to officials from the two countries and sources familiar with the talks.

Axios reported, citing an Israeli official, that Netanyahu informed Trump, during a phone call, of his concerns about Israeli intelligence indicators indicating that Iran is taking worrying steps to rebuild its nuclear program.

The call came before Trump announced that he would not launch attacks on Iran before the US midterm elections, scheduled a week after the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27.

According to the sources, Netanyahu made several calls with Trump during the past two weeks, to discuss a return to broad military operations against Iran, including the possibility of carrying out a joint American-Israeli operation targeting Iranian military and nuclear facilities.

According to the report, Israeli concerns focus on what Tel Aviv considers Iranian attempts to rebuild various components of its nuclear program, with particular interest in the possibility of using the Pickaxe Mountain site as a uranium enrichment facility.

The report indicated that senior officials in the Trump administration held lengthy meetings at the Camp David resort, on October 2, to discuss the next steps in the war and the possibility of resuming strikes on Iran.

Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying that Trump initially seemed inclined to resume attacks, before becoming more hesitant, while an American official said that the president had not decided his position on returning to military operations.

According to a source familiar with the discussions, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Central Command are among the most prominent supporters of resuming strikes, while most of Trump's advisors prefer to continue economic sanctions and other forms of pressure at the current stage.

An American official told the website that some officials believe that tightening the economic stranglehold on Iran is achieving increasing results, which supports continued pressure rather than an immediate return to war.

On the other hand, a White House official denied that Trump and Netanyahu had discussed resuming the war, and described this information as “incorrect,” stressing that the president announced not to attack Iran before the midterm elections.

For his part, Netanyahu's office said that the Prime Minister is in regular contact with Trump and senior officials in his administration, but he does not comment on the content of the talks.

The report indicated that the resumption of military operations may significantly affect the Israeli elections, especially if Iran responds by launching hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel.

According to a source who was briefed on the content of a call between Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Keane, the two sides discussed last week the possibility of returning to large-scale fighting against Iran during the next three weeks.

The source indicated that Zamir raised the possibility that resuming the war during this period would lead to the postponement of the Israeli elections, in light of expectations of a possible Iranian response.

According to the report, Zamir faces a dilemma regarding the timing of any potential attack before the elections, as the strike may be seen as a move that serves Netanyahu’s political calculations, which may affect public confidence in the military establishment, which is widely viewed as a non-partisan institution.

Axios quoted an American official as saying that the White House is aware of the internal political considerations surrounding Netanyahu's decision, adding that the Israeli prime minister is running in the elections before the US midterm elections, and believes that his image as a wartime prime minister represents a source of political strength for him.

According to an Israeli official, Netanyahu informed the heads of the security and intelligence services, during meetings held in recent days, that Trump was the one who initiated the possibility of targeting Iran before the elections, and that the US President asked him whether Israel would participate in the operation.

As for Trump, a return to war before the US elections could have adverse political repercussions, by reminding voters of an unpopular conflict, as well as the possibility of higher fuel prices.

In parallel with the military discussions, the Qatari mediation is still awaiting Iran’s response to the latest American counter-proposal to end the war, which includes demands related to making concessions in the nuclear file.

The website quoted an American official as saying that the negotiations have not stopped completely, but they are not witnessing decisive progress, adding that Washington continues to exert pressure, hoping that the more pragmatic voices inside Iran will prevail.

The official added that Tehran believed that Trump would back down under the pressure of developments and the midterm elections, but he believed that the US President had proven this assessment wrong.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his hard-line stance toward Tehran, telling reporters that “Iran is a failed state,” adding that Washington “will make a decision on Iran very soon.”