Netanyahu skeptical about chances for US-Iran deal

During a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced doubts about prospects for reaching a deal with Iran, Axios said, citing sources.

During their meeting on Tuesday, Netanyahu and Trump discussed a potential deal with Iran, prospects for continuing the U.S. naval blockade against Iran, as well as resuming and intensifying military actions against the Islamic Republic. Netanyahu, according to Axios, "expressed skepticism <…> about the chance of a deal with Iran."

Apart from that, according to the portal’s sources, Netanyahu told Trump that Israel would not withdraw its troops from the buffer zone in southern Syria and pledged that he "is serious about reducing U.S. military aid to Israel to zero within 10 years."

The U.S. and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28, striking Tehran and other major Iranian cities. IRGC announced a retaliatory operation targeting sites in Israel, while U.S. military bases in the Middle East also came under attack. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts. Tensions flared again in early July after a Qatari gas carrier and a Saudi oil tanker came under fire on July 7. The following day, the U.S. resumed airstrikes on Iran, prompting Tehran to renew attacks on U.S. facilities in the Middle East. On July 24, the two sides announced a halt to their strikes.