Trump Says Netanyahu 'Won't Have Any Choice' on Iran Deal
Trump made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, delivered against the backdrop of Iran launching a missile barrage at Israel in direct retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Beirut. Tehran framed the strikes as a warning shot and threatened "crushing blows" should Israel press on with its campaign in Lebanon or strike back against Iranian territory.
The interview came hours after Israel hit Beirut's southern suburbs without issuing the advance warnings it has customarily provided before striking densely populated areas. The attack on a residential building left at least two people dead and 20 others wounded, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported.
Trump was unequivocal that the Iranian missile salvos would do nothing to derail his pursuit of a nuclear agreement with Tehran — even as Iran has stipulated that any deal with Washington must include a permanent Israeli ceasefire, a condition that would effectively require Israel to halt its operations in Lebanon.
"He won't have any choice," Trump told the outlet, in reference to Netanyahu. "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn't call the shots."
Dismissing the strategic significance of the Iranian strikes, Trump added: "It's not going to have any impact on the deal." He further downplayed the physical toll of the missile barrage, saying: "We'll see how it ends up. But they were attacks that did not hit at all."
The comments arrive in the wake of a bombshell Axios report detailing an explosive phone call between the two leaders, in which a US official alleged Trump told Netanyahu: "You're f**king crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this." Trump subsequently confirmed the call occurred and declined to challenge Axios' account of what was said.
The tensions lay bare the limits of Washington's influence over its closest Middle East ally. Despite multiple US-brokered ceasefires between Israel and Lebanon — including one that came into effect just last week — Israel has continued to conduct near-daily strikes on Lebanese targets, underscoring Washington's constrained ability to rein in Tel Aviv.
From Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a notably warmer reception to Trump's ceasefire push, endorsing it as "the only correct one" and voicing hope that the truce would evolve into a durable peace agreement. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, Putin said he could identify no Iranian provocation that would have justified the US-Israeli strikes.
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