Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The death toll in the al-Bureij camp massacre has risen to 19
Nicolas Maduro: Maria Corina Machado and imperialism wanted to spread violence and chaos so there would be no elections.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: We were able to neutralize 60 attacks on oil refineries and oil facilities and arrest more than 70 individuals involved.
CNN citing sources: Talks between Washington and Tehran are close to reaching a comprehensive agreement that could be concluded during the next meeting.
US Secretary of State: Washington will begin revoking visas for Chinese students affiliated with the Communist Party or studying in sensitive fields.
Israeli media: Western diplomats: There is a possibility that the US administration will sign an interim agreement or understanding with Iran.
Hamas: We affirm that we are making great efforts to stop the barbaric war on the Gaza Strip.
Hamas: We reached an agreement with Witkoff that includes the flow of aid and a professional committee taking over the management of the Gaza Strip's affairs immediately after the deal is announced.
Hamas: The agreement with Witkoff includes the release of 10 Israeli prisoners and bodies in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas: We agreed with Witkoff on a general framework that would achieve a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of the occupation from Gaza.

Netanyahu's campaign against Iran's nuclear program muted with Trump

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 May 2025 14:44
4 Min Read

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been on a campaign against Iran's nuclear program, and his opposition helped convince President Trump to withdraw from an Obama-era deal meant to rein it in.

Listen
  • x
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures while speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2015 (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures while speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2015 (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

A decade after denouncing the Iran nuclear deal on the world’s biggest stages, Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted an unusual silence as the United States resumes talks with Iran under the leadership of Donald Trump, Tia Goldberg wrote for the Associated Press.

Netanyahu, who views an Iranian nuclear capability as an existential threat to "Israel", was once a vocal opponent of diplomacy with Tehran. In 2015, he openly criticized the Obama administration's nuclear deal, delivering a high-profile speech before the US Congress without White House coordination.

Today, with Washington once again negotiating with Tehran through indirect nuclear talks reaching their fourth round, Netanyahu has refrained from any open rebuke, mindful not to antagonize a US president he sees as a close ally, Goldberg wrote.

“He can’t do anything that goes against Trump. He's paralyzed,” said Yoel Guzansky, an Iran expert at the INSS think tank in Tel Aviv.

Although "Israel" has made strategic gains over Iran’s regional allies, particularly in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria, and carried out direct strikes on Iranian assets, Netanyahu has not persuaded Trump to support a military strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

Netanyahu’s preferred deal framework

In a rare public divergence from Trump, Netanyahu called on Sunday for the complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, rejecting any deal that allows Tehran to continue enriching uranium.

"I said to President Trump that I hope that this is what the negotiators will do. We’re in close contact with the United States. But I said one way or the other, Iran will not have nuclear weapons," Netanyahu stated.

He has cited Libya’s 2003 disarmament agreement as a model for Iran, one that requires the elimination of enrichment capabilities and unrestricted inspections. However, it remains uncertain whether Trump will endorse such strict measures. 

Earlier last month, Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi firmly rejected the idea of Iran following the Libyan model, when the North African country abandoned its Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program in exchange for sanctions relief, only to later be invaded and see its leader killed.

Iran's nuclear progress since 2018

Since Trump withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear agreement in 2018, Iran has significantly expanded its enrichment levels and uranium stockpile following Europe's failure to commit to the agreement.

Talks between the US and Iran resumed earlier this month and have advanced to technical discussions. 

However, the fourth round of indirect US-Iran nuclear talks, set to take place in Rome, have been postponed due to disagreements over the framework of negotiations, with Tehran accusing Washington of shifting its stance and using the talks to advance “Israeli” interests regarding Iran’s defense policies. 

While Trump maintains that military options remain viable, he has emphasized his preference for a diplomatic resolution and has moved military assets to the region as leverage.

According to Reuters, the Israeli occupation has not ruled out a possible strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in the coming months, despite US President Trump telling Prime Minister Netanyahu that Washington is currently unwilling to support such action, according to Israeli and US sources cited by Goldberg..

Internal and external constraints on Netanyahu’s diplomacy

Netanyahu’s options are limited, Goldberg says. His past alignment with US Republicans, including his 2015 congressional address, has eroded bipartisan support for "Israel", especially given current tensions with the Biden administration over Gaza.

Although Netanyahu’s nationalist allies had hoped that Trump’s return to the White House would empower "Israel" against Iran, the reality has proven more complex. Trump’s priorities, including on trade and regional security, don’t always align with Netanyahu’s.

With negotiations underway, "Israel" is communicating its expectations to Washington but recognizes that any unilateral military action would lack US backing for the time being. A senior "Israeli" official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that "Israel" would likely act alone if it chose to strike during the talks.

Publicly, Netanyahu remains cautious. Analysts suggest that any direct criticism of Trump’s diplomatic initiative could risk their relationship, which was already strained when Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden in 2020, a move that offended Trump.

For now, Netanyahu appears to be waiting and hoping the talks collapse.

“That, for him, will be the best case scenario,” Eytan Gilboa of Bar-Ilan University told Goldberg.

  • Iran nuclear weapons
  • Israel Iran relations
  • Benjamin Netanyahu
  • US-Iran negotiations
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump tensions

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump pressures

  • US & Canada
  • 25 May 2025
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, answers a question about his House Bill 3-C: Independent Special Districts in the House of Representatives April 20, 2022, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida (AP/Phil Sears)

GOP lawmaker says Gaza needs same end as WWII Japan, with nukes

  • MENA
  • 23 May 2025
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington (AP)

Rift widens: Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran

  • Politics
  • 26 May 2025
Iran advisor reveals details of US-Iran nuclear talks to Al Mayadeen

Iran advisor reveals details of US-Iran nuclear talks: Al Mayadeen

  • MENA
  • 24 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Israeli forces operate in a buffer zone in southern Lebanon as seen from northern occupied Palestine, Tuesday, February 18, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli troops breach Lebanese territory, enter country's south

Chief of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hossein Salami speaks in a ceremony commemorating late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and several other officials, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, May 15, 2025 (AP)
Politics

IRGC commander warns Iran would 'open gates of hell' on 'Israel'

(Iran Foreign Ministry)
Politics

Iran denies reported enrichment freeze, reaffirms nuclear policy

President Donald Trump, right, listens as White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, left, speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney General for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, Wednesday, May 28, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Trump warns Netanyahu on Iran talks, pushes Gaza ceasefire plan

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS