Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that any potential deal with Iran would “protect our vital interests,” after speaking with President Donald Trump, who he said believes there is a chance to reach an agreement as negotiations to potentially end the conflict move forward.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said Trump believes there is “a chance to leverage the massive achievements of the IDF and the U.S. military in order to achieve the goals of the war through an agreement — an agreement that protects our vital interests.”
At the same time, Netanyahu stressed that Israel’s military campaign is continuing, saying Israel is still striking in both Iran and Lebanon while “crushing the missile program and the nuclear program” and continuing to hit Hezbollah hard.
“Only days ago, we eliminated two more nuclear scientists, and our arm is still outstretched,” he said.
Earlier Monday, Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the previous two days regarding what he described as a possible “complete and total resolution” of the hostilities in the Middle East.
He added that, based on the “tenor and tone” of those discussions, he had instructed the Department of War to postpone strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing talks.
Speaking to reporters later in the day, Trump said the discussions had been “very, very strong” and that the two sides had “major points of agreement,” while warning that, absent a deal, the bombing campaign would continue.
Trump said Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner led the U.S. side of the talks, which he said began Sunday and carried into the evening.
Netanyahu’s remarks marked his first public response to Trump’s announcement that Washington is pursuing negotiations with Tehran even as the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign continues.
Behind Netanyahu’s public comments, Israeli media reports described an intensive effort by Jerusalem to shape any potential agreement before it takes form.
Netanyahu was also reported to have spoken with Vice President JD Vance about the contacts, as Israel works to ensure that any agreement does not undercut its core war aims.
Israeli officials told Ynet, an Israeli news outlet, that Washington’s message is that U.S. red lines remain broadly aligned with Jerusalem’s — including the removal of enriched uranium from Iran, an end to its nuclear program, the restoration of intrusive International Atomic Energy Agency inspections, limits on its ballistic missile program, and an end to support for proxy groups.
Additional reporting cited by the outlet, including Financial Times reporting, said Pakistan has been positioning itself as an intermediary as backchannel diplomacy accelerates between Washington and Tehran.
At the same time, Israeli officials have made clear they do not expect to be blindsided by any agreement and believe Trump is seeking to avoid a broader energy war while still pursuing terms that align with Israel’s central objectives.
Even so, concerns remain in Jerusalem over the possibility of a deal that falls short of those benchmarks — particularly one that leaves Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile in place or allows Tehran to preserve key nuclear capabilities under the cover of diplomacy.
Israeli media reports said Iran has advanced demands that include guarantees against renewed attacks, compensation for wartime damage, and broader regional concessions, while also signaling limited flexibility on issues including ballistic missiles, uranium enrichment, and inspections.
Israeli officials, however, have voiced skepticism that Tehran would accept terms they view as tantamount to surrender, and have also questioned whether the regime would honor any deal if one is reached.
For his part, Netanyahu made clear that military pressure is not being eased as diplomacy proceeds, insisting Israel will continue acting to defend what he called its “vital interests under all circumstances.”
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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