In an interview with the "Pod Force One" podcast, US President Donald Trump discussed a recent phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. When asked if he had called the longtime Israeli leader "effing crazy" and accused him of ingratitude, as previously reported by Axios, Trump confirmed: "I did."
Details of the Phone Call
According to the Axios report, which cited an unidentified US official, Trump told Netanyahu during a call on Monday: "You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this." In the podcast interview, Trump stated, "At some point I said, 'Bibi, we got to stop this. We got to stop it.'"
Iran and Supreme Leader Khamenei
When questioned about the involvement of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in negotiations to end hostilities, Trump responded, "He's involved, absolutely. ... I think they have a lot of respect for him." Trump mentioned that he was hearing Iran's leader was not doing well but was giving his approval during the negotiations. He added that he had not had "the privilege of meeting" Khamenei but expressed a desire to do so: "I'd like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out."
Trump described the Iran war as a success, claiming that the country's military had been defeated. The conflict has disrupted the global energy market and has become unpopular with Americans ahead of the November congressional elections. "Iran's a big success," Trump said. "We'll see what happens. We're going to, we're working on a deal, and that happens fine. If it doesn't happen, that's OK too. We'll do it the other way." He did not elaborate on what that might entail but has previously indicated that the US would resume strikes.
Netanyahu's Remarks
Speaking on CNBC, the Israeli leader stated that Israeli and US forces were prepared to return to full-scale action in Iran, though he was leaving the decision on military escalation to Trump. Netanyahu mentioned that opening the Strait of Hormuz militarily was possible. He also noted that Iran had not agreed to remove nuclear material from the country but that pressure was building.
