Archive photo: President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, July 28, 2026. Official White House photo by Daniel Torok, public domain; cropped Photo source.
President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Saturday as the administration weighs resuming military strikes against Iran, according to reports citing people familiar with the conversation. The topic of the call was not disclosed.
The call came two days after the commander of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, personally briefed Trump at the White House on possible military operations against Iran, in a meeting attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
Separately, a report citing sources involved in the mediation said that a U.S. delegation is expected to join Iranian officials for direct talks in Doha, following what the report described as progress in indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. The sources said preliminary understandings had been reached on several issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and economic incentives for Tehran, and that China and Russia were expected to act as guarantors of any eventual agreement.
The diplomatic push has accelerated since Qatari mediators held more than 12 hours of talks with Iranian officials in Tehran on Friday. The Iranian negotiators flew back to Doha with the Qatari team, and discussions continued there Saturday. A diplomatic source described “positive progress,” while no agreement had yet been reached on reopening direct U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Friday, said Tehran was seeking talks while under mounting financial strain. “There are talks. They want to talk. They keep talking. They’re not paying their soldiers. They’re not paying their police. They’re in a lot of trouble,” he said. “We have time, frankly. It’s a war, but it is not a typical war.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, meeting senior military commanders on Saturday, ordered the armed forces to prepare “an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response” to any new attack, and said Iran would determine the timing and terms for ending any new conflict, according to a reported statement.
The call and the movement in Doha come three days before Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, which officials on both sides of the talks describe as the deadline shaping the choice between a deal and a renewed military campaign.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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