Israel just pushed America to bomb Iran right after the midterms
1 hour ago · 1 November 2026Share
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on January 27, 2020. File photo. The White House from Washington, DC · Public domain
So here's what happened. The two of them spoke by phone two days ago. The Wall Street Journal broke the news of the call. Axios then got the details.
They talked about timing. Specifically, when the US might strike Iran again.
And they don't agree.
Benjamin Netanyahu wants Donald Trump to strike right after Tuesday's US midterm elections. Donald Trump wants to let talks with Iran play out first. That's the strategy Benjamin Netanyahu is worried about.
An Israeli source told Axios the call was tough. A US source called it direct. Nobody's saying more than that.
So think about what this actually is. A major US ally and the US President, disagreeing, two days before an election, on whether a paused war should start again.
And Donald Trump isn't just sitting back and waiting.
He's running two tracks at once. While Netanyahu pushes for strikes, Vice President JD Vance sent a letter about a week ago. It went to Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. The letter was about restarting talks.
Rezaei went on Iranian state TV. He said Washington's tone had completely changed. He called that a good sign. But he also said he hasn't replied yet.
So Trump is talking and threatening, at the same time.
Earlier today he told reporters the negotiations are going fine. He said he's not in much of a hurry.
Then, in the same breath, he said the US still has to take care of one or two sites in Iran. He named one: Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear complex. He says it can be hit in 10 minutes.
He also said Iranians are not very reliable. He says they make a deal, then back out.
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Skylines of Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, Israel from HaMada Promenade at Tel Aviv University. File photo. Ynhockey · CC BY-SA 4.0
So picture that. The US President holding a strike over Iran's head. And his own Vice President, writing to Iran's security chief about peace.
Four days ago his bloc won just 53 of the 120 seats in Israel's Knesset. That's eight short of the 61 he needs for a majority. Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the main opposition bloc, says he'll only back military action against a direct, immediate threat until a new government is sworn in. So a strike right now could be Netanyahu showing strength while he's still trying to build a coalition.
And Iran has its own terms before it will even talk.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran wants the US naval blockade lifted. It wants oil sanction waivers. It wants its frozen assets back. It wants the fighting stopped on every regional front, including Lebanon. And it wants the US to recognise an Iran-Oman arrangement over the Strait of Hormuz.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, says there's still no agreement on talks. He says any deal depends on the US answering Iran's questions first. He says Iran will not give up its sovereign rights despite pressure and threats, and that it hopes the other side chooses diplomacy over other paths.
Qatar is in the middle, trying to close the gap. Qatari officials met Iranian officials earlier today for the third day running, trying to set up direct US-Iran talks.
But Iran isn't just waiting quietly either.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, has ordered that any new threat gets an immediate and effective response, with no geographic limits. That's Iran's own leadership promising to hit back hard, anywhere, if it gets attacked again.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, says Donald Trump hasn't made a final decision on new strikes. He says America can hit its military objectives whenever it chooses to. But no decision yet, and no announcement.
And here's the thing. This isn't new for Trump.
Operation Midnight Hammer hit Iranian targets about 17 months ago. Operation Epic Fury, a joint US-Israeli operation, followed about nine months ago. Between both of those, Trump went back to the table and tried talks.
So what don't we know? We don't know what Trump actually told Netanyahu, beyond those two words, tough and direct. We don't know if Trump promised him anything on timing. We don't know if Netanyahu will accept a delay past the election. And we don't know when, or if, Rezaei will answer Vance's letter.
Right now, both sides are stuck exactly where they started. Netanyahu wants to move. Trump wants to wait. Neither one has blinked.
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