Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed reports that Israel was caught off guard by Washington’s diplomatic moves toward Iran, saying that he is in near-daily contact with US President Donald Trump to ensure full coordination.
“We are in continuous contact with our friends in the United States,” Netanyahu said Wednesday (local time). “I speak with President Trump on an almost daily basis. My people and his people speak daily, including today,” he said.
He added that he has a planned phone call with Trump again later tonight.
Israel is “ready for all scenarios” in dealing with Iran, Netanyahu said, adding that Israel and the United States share the same goals, “with the most important goal being the removal of enriched material from Iran.”
Israeli officials have voiced support for renewing attacks on Iran, claiming its nuclear capabilities and ballistic missile stockpiles remain a concern, reports Xinhua news agency.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump issued a fresh ultimatum, telling Iran to accept a deal to end the war or face a new wave of bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”
Trump has said that Washington had made progress in talks with Iran and suggested a possible agreement could emerge soon, while insisting that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear weapon”.
“They want to make a deal badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House Wednesday (Local time). “We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal.”
Trump rejected suggestions that Iran remained defiant.
“Well, why do you say they refused to submit? You don’t know that,” he told a reporter.
The President repeated his long-standing position that Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons.
“They can’t have nuclear weapons, it’s very simple,” Trump said.
Trump also claimed Iran’s military infrastructure had been heavily damaged during the conflict.
“They had a Navy with 159 ships, and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water,” he said. “They had an Air Force, lots of planes, and they don’t have any planes.”
He further claimed Iran’s anti-aircraft systems, radar capabilities and missile stockpiles had been “mostly decimated”.
“Their leaders are all dead. So, I think we won,” Trump said.
At the same time, Trump said diplomacy remained possible and argued Iran would need decades to recover militarily if the conflict stopped now.
