Netanyahu presses Trump to resume Iran war after US midterms, reports say

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly pressed US President Donald Trump on Saturday to launch new strikes on Iran immediately after the US midterm elections, according to US and Israeli officials cited by Axios. Trump was reported to be more willing to let negotiations with Tehran play out, US media reported on Sunday.

The call, held on Saturday, focused on when and whether to step up combat operations against Iran. Axios quoted one US and one Israeli official describing the conversation. The Israeli source called it "tough," while the American source described it as "direct."

Trump told reporters on Saturday that negotiations with Iran to end the war were "going fine." He also said there were still one or two targets to "take care" of. He added that Washington was not in a hurry to take offensive action, because it had already decimated Iran's military and its nuclear programme, according to Arab News.

Separately, Israeli media reported that the army had completed its offensive and defensive preparations to resume the war, and that the decision rested with the United States. Yedioth Ahronoth reported the preparations. Ynet quoted a senior Israeli official as saying the situation appeared to be "moving towards another war rather than a diplomatic agreement." These reports were relayed by the Quds News Network on Telegram and have not been confirmed by an official statement.

An Al Jazeera Arabic post on Telegram, citing Channel 12 and unnamed US and Israeli sources, also said Netanyahu was pressing Trump to renew the war after the US elections. That post is unverified and rests on the same reporting.

Why it matters

The dispute concerns whether the conflict moves toward a deal or back to open fighting. Arab News reported that Trump has pursued two tracks throughout the eight-month war: air and other attacks, alongside efforts to reach a deal that would restart peace talks and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas traffic. A renewed campaign would likely affect those shipping routes, although the sources do not say how.

Arab News also reported that US midterm voters are angry over rising gas prices and other cost-of-living increases. The sources say this pressure could be expressed at the ballot box. Trump has faced intense political pressure over the Middle East war.

Background

The United States and Israel have been fighting Iran for eight months, according to Arab News. During that period, Trump has combined strikes with diplomacy. The sources describe the Strait of Hormuz as a key route for oil and gas, and say its full reopening is part of the negotiating goals.

Diplomatic contacts are continuing. Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said on Saturday that he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive stalled talks, according to Arab News. A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials, Iranian state media reported.

Israel's legislative elections were held on the eve of October 26, 2026, according to an AFP caption carried by Arab News. The Trump-Netanyahu call came after that vote.

What happens next

The sources do not give a date for any decision on renewed strikes. Trump's remarks suggest Washington is not planning immediate offensive action. The Israeli official's comments and the reported military preparations point in a different direction. It is not clear from the sources which view will prevail.

The US midterm elections are the timing reference in both reports. The sources do not say what Iran's response to the letter from Vance will be, or whether the Qatari-mediated talks will produce a deal.

Neither the White House nor Netanyahu's office had issued a public statement on the call in the sources reviewed.