Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran war, report says

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly clashed in a phone call over whether to resume military strikes on Iran, which Netanyahu’s office denies.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly clashed in a heated telephone call over the war in Iran, with one source describing the exchange as “a shouting match from hell,” Mediaite reports. Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the call took place over the weekend as the two leaders disagreed on whether to resume strikes on Tehran.

Netanyahu has pushed for renewed action, while Trump wants to give diplomacy another chance. Netanyahu’s office dismissed the report as “fake news” and “complete nonsense.” A senior Israeli official acknowledged the call but insisted it was “very much not a difficult conversation.”

Netanyahu told Israel’s parliament on Tuesday that “Iran is working to renew the nuclear threat. The only way to permanently remove this existential threat is by toppling the ayatollah regime,” Ynet reported.

Trump struck a different tone Monday after talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is mediating. He said “taking military action” does not seem “a very necessary thing,” though U.S. forces remained “locked and loaded.” In a CBS 60 Minutes interview aired Sunday, he said: “Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to. I don’t think there’s any reason to.”