Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday evening that any deal to end the hostilities between the US, Israel, and Iran would protect Jerusalem’s “vital interests,” in his first comments since US President Donald Trump announced earlier in the day that he was holding talks with Tehran about ending the war.
In an upbeat video statement, Netanyahu said he spoke with “our friend” Trump in a phone call on Monday, and that the two discussed the president’s desire to end the fighting with Iran through a deal.
Trump, Netanyahu said, “believes that there is a chance to leverage the massive achievements of the IDF and the US military in order to achieve the goals of the war through an agreement — an agreement that protects our vital interests.”
At the same time, the premier stressed that Israel was “continuing to strike” in both Iran and Lebanon, where the IDF is in the midst of renewed fighting with Hezbollah, after it waded into the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
“We are crushing the missile program and the nuclear program, and continuing to strike Hezbollah hard,” Netanyahu said.
“Only days ago, we eliminated two more nuclear scientists, and our arm is still outstretched.”
Trump, earlier on Monday, announced that his administration was engaged in talks with Iran regarding a “complete and total resolution” of the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.
He claimed that the sides were close to an agreement under which there would be a total cessation of the hostilities that have wracked the region since February 28, and which would also include Iranian guarantees to refrain from seeking nuclear weapons and to give up on uranium enrichment.
Iran, for its part, denied that the talks were taking place, with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accusing Trump of attempting to “manipulate the financial and oil markets” by claiming the end of the war was in sight.
According to Channel 12 on Monday evening, Netanyahu received regular updates over the preceding 24 hours regarding the ongoing contacts between Washington and Tehran, and, despite Iran’s denial, Israeli officials have assessed that leaders of the Islamic Republic may be amenable to a deal. The outlet said Israel first learned of the potential negotiations on Thursday.
The premier was also reported to have spoken to US Vice President JD Vance on Monday regarding the efforts to renew talks with Iran.
Israel believes Trump is seeking to avoid a broader energy war, the news outlet reported, but officials in Jerusalem do not expect to be blindsided by any agreement.
Israeli officials assess that if a deal is reached, it would be expected to align with Israel’s core war objectives, Channel 12 reported, quoting one source as saying that Trump “remembers who stood with him in battle.”
According to the news outlet, Israel is now working to ensure that the terms of a potential agreement will meet its demands, prioritizing an end to Iran’s nuclear program and strict limits on uranium enrichment. Regime change, the report said, is viewed as a less central goal, though Israel will likely claim to have created the necessary conditions for one.
Another source added that, as in the previous ceasefire deal with Iran, which ended the 12-day war in June 2025, Netanyahu is expected to be involved in shaping any final agreement to end this round of fighting.
At the same time, Israeli sources cautioned that a successful deal from Jerusalem’s perspective would effectively require Iran to surrender, with one source expressing skepticism that an agreement was currently within reach. And even if a deal was reached, the source said, there was doubt that Iran would even honor it.
Channel 12 further noted that any potential deal could also have implications for the northern front, amid the ongoing fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel worried about chance for ‘bad’ deal
To that end, the report said that the Islamic Republic had laid out its demands and requirements for the end of the war during the ongoing mediation efforts.
According to the report, Iranian officials were seeking firm guarantees that the fighting would not begin anew and were demanding compensation for damages sustained during the current round of hostilities.
It said Tehran was also seeking to implement a new agreement that would allow it to control the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil shipping route that it has held in a chokehold since fighting began on February 28.
Trump suggested earlier that perhaps the Strait of Hormuz could be “jointly controlled” by the US and Iran when it finally reopens.
Iran was also said to be demanding the closure of US military bases across the region, after repeatedly targeting the countries that host them with drones and missile attacks over the last few weeks.
However, a separate report from the outlet suggested that Tehran may also be privately signaling some limited flexibility in the talks, and set out what it said were Iran’s opening negotiating positions, as understood by the US, without citing sources.
According to that report, Iran may be willing to halt its ballistic missile program for five years, “reduce” its uranium enrichment, and enter discussions over its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium.
Channel 12 added that Iran could also agree to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of remaining centrifuges and to stop funding regional proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi militias.
Still, Israel was concerned about the chance for a “bad deal” with Iran to take shape, the outlet said, meaning one that fails to address the Islamic Republic’s stockpile of over 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, enough for 11 nuclear bombs.
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