1 hour ago
The military offensive against Iran had begun as a joint US-Israeli operation, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was caught off guard by US President Donald Trump's announcement on Thursday that he had cancelled planned military strikes on Iran and was moving towards a potential agreement with Tehran, according to a report that said the Israeli leader had not been informed in advance of the development.
Trump on Thursday claimed that Iran's leadership had approved a draft memorandum of understanding that could pave the way for a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and fresh negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. Based on those developments, Trump said he had called off the planned US strikes against Iran.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Netanyahu did not receive advance notice before Trump publicly disclosed the proposed agreement, US news outlet Axios reported.
However, after the announcement, Trump spoke with Netanyahu about the deal, and the Israeli prime minister expressed his appreciation for the US president, Netanyahu's office said.
"Even though Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for President Trump's commitment that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations will include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran's support for its terrorist proxies in the region," Netanyahu's office said.
Trump's announcement came after intensive diplomatic efforts involving Qatar, which has been mediating between Washington and Tehran. According to sources briefed on the talks, Qatari officials and Iranian negotiators worked late into Wednesday night to bridge differences on key issues, including the release of Iran's frozen assets, arrangements for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and the framework for future nuclear negotiations.
"Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The US president told reporters that he believed Iran's top leadership had approved the understandings reached during the negotiations. He also claimed that the broad contours of the proposed agreement had received backing from multiple regional stakeholders, including Israel and several Gulf nations.
Iran, however, pushed back against suggestions that a deal had been finalised, while indicating that negotiations were nearing completion. Iran's Foreign Ministry said "the main part of the text was almost finalised, but the Americans were being greedy and raising new requests."
Trump, meanwhile, indicated that a memorandum of understanding could be signed in Europe over the weekend, with Vice President JD Vance expected to lead the US delegation. However, officials cautioned that previous rounds of negotiations had appeared close to success before ultimately collapsing, leaving the future of the proposed agreement uncertain.
- Ends
Published On:
Jun 12, 2026 17:08 IST
