Israel loses patience with Iran (and Trump)

US President Donald Trump has been trying for several weeks to reach an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program. But this project now seems to be undermined by Israel’s growing tensions.

As the Trump administration tries to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been threatening to upend the talks by striking Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities, according to officials briefed on the situation.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-05-28T09:36:37.034Z

According to the New York Times, the Israeli president is clearly determined to launch direct strikes against Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities.

Yet Trump has recently given assurances that negotiations are progressing positively, and that an announcement on a deal could be made in the coming days.

However, this diplomatic initiative could clash with the more aggressive stance of Benjamin Netanyahu, who favors a military approach to dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat.

According to the same sources, Israel had planned strikes as early as April, but these were temporarily postponed at Trump’s request, in the prospect of giving diplomacy a chance.

Excluded from current negotiations, Israel is now advocating military intervention, even without US support, believing that Iran is going through a period of strategic vulnerability.

This perception is based in particular on Israeli strikes at the end of 2024, which destroyed several key elements of the defenses protecting Iran’s nuclear sites.

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