President Donald Trump held a phone conversation Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the White House weighed whether to resume military operations against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The discussion followed a White House session earlier in the week during which Trump met with senior military leaders to review choices for restarting major combat actions, according to the Journal. Official and defense sources also confirmed to Fox News that regional movements are underway in the Middle East to provide options should the president decide to launch fresh attacks.
Talks in Qatar race against election timeline
The military discussions coincide with urgent diplomatic maneuvers. American negotiators are preparing to rejoin negotiations with Iran in Qatar to prevent another conflict, amid warnings that Trump might order strikes shortly after Tuesday’s midterm elections, the New York Post reported.
Qatari intermediaries conducted 12 hours of discussions in Tehran on Friday while staying in steady contact with the White House, Axios reported. A preliminary framework could involve Tehran shipping its highly enriched uranium stockpile to an approved third country, according to Al Arabiya. Qatari publication Al-Araby Al-Jadeed noted the parties discussed early steps addressing Iranian nuclear activity and maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. Navy has escorted oil tankers. The proposal also outlines reopening the strait within seven days of an agreement, potentially backed by Russian and Chinese guarantees, alongside financial incentives for Tehran reported by the Times of Israel.
A prior tentative deal reached between Washington and Tehran through mediators in June collapsed within weeks. The last American military strike against Iranian targets occurred in September.
Tehran warns of regional fallout
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned Washington on Saturday via Telegram against initiating new assaults, stating that if adversaries attack, Iranian forces and citizens will set the terms for concluding the fight. Khamenei cautioned that Iran could deliver a geographically unrestricted response, raising concerns for American partners across the region who previously faced retaliatory fire after allied attacks in February.
Domestically, lawmakers have voiced contrasting views on the strategy. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., warned on social media that the administration was preparing to resume fighting following the midterms, calling the reported plans dangerous. Meanwhile, Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital that administration officials must make a firm choice to either achieve the mission decisively or withdraw forces.
Speaking at a Fox News town hall on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance pledged that Trump would prevent the confrontation from turning into an endless conflict. During a Friday radio appearance from Florida, Trump asserted that the war would conclude shortly, though he did not detail how that outcome would be reached.
In Israel, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main political challenger, said Saturday that he would back military operations only against direct and immediate perils to Israel until a newly formed government takes office, the Journal reported.
It remains unconfirmed whether Trump will approve new military actions or if the mediation in Qatar will produce a binding agreement before the post-election period begins.
