President Trump asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to pull back from escalating his country’s strikes against Iran during a call on Monday morning, telling the Israeli leader that the United States and Iran were within days of a breakthrough clearing the way for talks on a long-term nuclear deal, according to multiple officials briefed on the call.
After speaking with Mr. Trump, Mr. Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to hold off on fresh strikes on Iran that were scheduled to be conducted a short time later, both U.S. and Israeli officials said.
A White House official, who was granted anonymity to discuss Mr. Trump’s thinking, said the president had said Israel and Iran wanted an “immediate cease-fire,” adding that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remained in effect.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that the United States and Iran were drawing near an agreement on a framework that would produce a cease-fire and bring the sides back to the table for long-term negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. It is not clear that they are actually any closer at the moment.
But the situation became more complicated when Iran and Israel traded fire over the last two days.
The Trump administration wants Iran to stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil and other products, and to immediately remove mines Iran’s military has placed throughout the passage. Iran is seeking the release of billions of dollars of frozen assets, but Washington has not been interested in a quick release that is not tied to specific performance markers by Iran.
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