Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he urged President Donald Trump to intensify economic pressure on Iran rather than immediately resume large-scale military action, while telling Trump he does not believe Tehran’s current leadership can be trusted to reach a lasting diplomatic agreement.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he supports President Donald Trump’s decision to escalate economic pressure on Iran, arguing that tightening the financial squeeze offers a stronger near-term option than either trusting Tehran in negotiations or immediately launching another major military campaign.
Speaking at an event in Jerusalem for Israeli settlers in the West Bank, Netanyahu described a July 28 White House meeting with Trump in which the two leaders considered three possible paths: renewed diplomacy with Iran, additional military action or a broader economic campaign against Tehran and the countries and entities that support it.
Netanyahu said he favored the economic option.
He also made clear that he remains deeply skeptical that negotiations with Iran’s current leadership could produce a durable agreement.
“I doubt, however, that an agreement can be reached with that group there, with those savages,” Netanyahu said.
“I tell you — an agreement cannot be reached,” he added.
The remarks were reported by AFP and separately carried by CBS News, Arab News and the Times of Israel.
Netanyahu said he pressed Trump during their July meeting to “tighten the siege” on Iran and later praised the president for following that approach “in a very, very, very strong way,” according to the Times of Israel, which reviewed video of the remarks.
Trump announced what he called an “economic D-Day” against Iran on Monday, expanding U.S. pressure beyond the Iranian government itself to include foreign companies and other entities that help sustain the country’s economy.
Netanyahu said that distinction was significant because the strategy seeks to isolate not only Tehran but also outside actors that continue doing business with or otherwise assisting the Iranian regime.
“Trump decided to tighten the siege on those who assist this regime, this terrible dictatorship,” Netanyahu said, according to AFP.
The Israeli prime minister’s comments amounted to a strong endorsement of the administration’s latest economic offensive while highlighting a difference in emphasis between the two leaders.
Trump has continued to leave open the possibility of a negotiated settlement with Tehran and has previously said diplomacy remains available if Iran agrees to U.S. demands.
At the same time, he has repeatedly threatened additional military action if negotiations fail.
Netanyahu has long argued that agreements with Iran are dangerous if they leave Tehran with the ability to rebuild its nuclear infrastructure or restore military capabilities after a period of reduced pressure.
His comments Tuesday suggest that he sees economic coercion as the preferable course for now, but not because he expects it necessarily to produce a reliable diplomatic settlement.
Instead, Netanyahu indicated that the immediate objective should be to increase the cost of defiance for Iran and for governments, companies and organizations that continue helping its economy function.
Iranian officials have rejected Washington’s latest campaign.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that the United States would achieve nothing through sanctions, according to AFP reporting carried by multiple outlets.
The dispute comes as pressure on Iran extends beyond sanctions and negotiations to the broader regional conflict and disruptions affecting global energy and shipping routes.
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been sharply affected during the confrontation, making the waterway another central element in the pressure surrounding Tehran.
Netanyahu’s account of his conversation with Trump shows that the two leaders discussed diplomacy, military force and economic coercion as distinct options rather than treating another round of strikes as inevitable.
For Netanyahu, however, the diplomatic route remains the least credible.
His public remarks indicate that while he supports Trump’s current decision to prioritize economic pressure over immediate military escalation, he does not believe Iran’s present leadership is capable of entering an agreement that Israel could safely trust.
That skepticism is likely to remain central as Washington weighs how far to push sanctions, whether to revive negotiations and under what circumstances military action could return to the table.
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