United States President Donald Trump on Sunday spoke to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a phone call, an Israeli official said. The leaders reportedly discussed Iran during the call, Axios cited the official as saying.
Netanyahu had earlier today said he had scheduled to speak to the US President and was expected to hear about Trump’s trip to China. The Israeli PM had also suggested that Iran would also figure in their discussions.
The phone call comes in the backdrop of Trump mulling fresh strikes on Iran even as he recently concluded his visit to Beijing. After his diplomatic visit to China, Trump had said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was in agreement with him on the reopening of Strait of Hormuz and on Iran not having a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry had in a statement said the conflict should never have started and had no reason to continue.
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Trump considers ‘Op Sledgehammer’, Netanyahu to chair security meet
While negotiations between US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan and other nations, have hit a wall, Trump’s top aides have allegedly drawn up fresh plans for military action against Tehran. If the present ceasefire falls apart and Trump resumes operations against Iran, the US military is considering changing the official name of the military action ‘Operation Sledgehammer’.
The US had paused ‘Operation Epic Fury’, the name used for its strikes on Iran which started on February 28. The Trump administration then imposed a blockade on Iranian ports as a tactic to pressure Iran into a deal.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is expected to chair a meeting of his top aides and ministers Sunday evening for a security discussion in his office in Jerusalem, Times of Israel reported.
During the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu had said that US and Israel’s “eyes are open regarding Iran.”
“I will certainly hear impressions from his trip to China, perhaps other things as well. Certainly, there are many possibilities, and we are prepared for every scenario,” Times of Israel cited Netanyahu as saying.
Drone strike at UAE nuclear plant
Meanwhile, a drone strike cause a fire at a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, Reuters news agency cited officials in Abu Dhabi as saying on Sunday.
While officials said they were still investigating the source of the strike, the UAE asserted that it had the right to respond to such “terrorist attacks.” The UAE has previously accused Iran of strikes on its territory. Following US-Israeli strikes on Iran starting February 28, Tehran had launched retaliatory strikes against Gulf nations, including UAE.
The drone strike on Sunday hitan electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. The International Atomic Energy Agency said there was no increase in radiation levels and no reported injuries after the strike.
