Netanyahu pressing Trump to attack Iran after midterms, says officials

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for another wave of strikes on Iran after Tuesday's (November 3, 2026) midterm elections in the United States, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter.

A return to full-scale war with Iran could help Mr. Netanyahu to form an emergency government after he and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week's elections. U.S. President Donald Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes while pushing for a deal with Iran.

The two officials said diplomatic efforts have made progress, with Qatari mediators holding two rounds of talks last week with Iranian officials. The two officials said the mediators are trying to advance a framework for Iran to cease its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in return for the U.S.

lifting its blockade on Iran's ports. They said more talks are planned for this week. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified briefings they had received from American, and in one case Israeli, officials.

One official said Mr. Netanyahu was working with senior officials in the U.S. administration to persuade Mr. Trump to launch a quick but extensive air campaign and that the president does not appear to have made a decision.

Mr. Netanyahu pressed for strikes during a call over the weekend with Mr. Trump, who would not commit to taking military action, according to a person who was briefed on it. Other U.S. allies in West Asia are warning against more strikes, saying it would destabilise the region and could lead Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen to step up their attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping, a third regional official said.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq could also get involved. That official, and the person familiar with the Netanyahu-Trump call, were not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Israeli government did not immediately comment.

The White House did not directly respond to questions about Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Trump's discussion of potential new strikes during the weekend call. Mr. Trump told reporters on Sunday (November 1, 2026) that he and Mr.

Netanyahu had a “very good” call the day before. He said they discussed Iran but gave no details. Mr. Netanyahu had pushed for renewed strikes even before the Israeli election as he sought to highlight his security credentials to a public deeply scarred by Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack.

Asked at a news conference on Saturday (October 31, 2026) about the possibility of new U.S. strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not say what would happen next but reiterated that the Trump administration prefers a diplomatic solution and that talks were ongoing.

“He hasn't made a decision,” Mr. Rubio said, referring to Mr. Trump. “He'd prefer to solve it diplomatically," Mr. Rubio said, adding that Mr. Trump has “incredible confidence” in military action if that is needed.

Mr. Netanyahu has not commented on Iran since the election, and there was no word from his office on the latest call with Mr. Trump. “The standoff in the Gulf between the U.S. and Iran is really between Qatar and Israel,” Andreas Krieg, a professor at King's College London, who previously worked as an adviser to Qatar's military, said on X.

“Qatar is tirelessly working on a diplomatic offramp with the region's backing while Israel is looking for military ways to throw the region under the bus.” Iran wants guarantees that the U.S. will implement its side of any agreement.

The U.S. and Israel have attacked Iran twice while it was engaged in negotiations over its disputed nuclear program. Iranian officials say publicly they are prepared for war or diplomacy.