Trump and Netanyahu discuss restarting military strikes against Iran, significantly increasing the risk of joint US-Israel airstrikes

ME News report: On May 18 (UTC+8), Israeli media reported on the 17th that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Trump spoke by phone that day, discussing the possibility of restarting military actions against Iran. Citing a senior Israeli official, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that Netanyahu and Trump’s conversation lasted about half an hour and focused mainly on the potential resumption of military strikes against Iran. The official said that if the U.S. resumes military actions against Iran, it is expected that the two countries— the U.S. and Israel— will jointly launch airstrikes.

In a telephone interview with Axios, Trump said that Iran’s “time is running out,” and warned that if the Iranian regime cannot offer better terms for an agreement, “they will face far more severe strikes than ever before.” Two U.S. officials said that Trump is expected to convene his senior national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options. Trump told Axios that he still believes Iran wants to reach an agreement and said he is waiting for Iran’s updated proposal, hoping it will be better than the previous one submitted a few days earlier. Trump declined to disclose a specific deadline for negotiations with Iran. (Source: BlockBeats)