Trump, Netanyahu speak as US weighs renewed military action against Iran

President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday as Washington weighed possible renewed military action against Iran, according to a report. The call came even as diplomatic efforts continued through Qatari mediators to restart direct negotiations between the US and Iran.

The Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that communication with Iran remains active but said Trump has not decided whether to authorize further strikes.“There are multiple talks; talks have actually never stopped,” Rubio told reporters after the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Georgia.

Rubio declined to set a deadline for negotiations. He said any agreement would need to address US concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and its support for armed groups across the Middle East. “We can achieve military objectives if we seek to.

He hasn’t made a decision,” Rubio said. Iranian officials indicated that Washington’s latest diplomatic outreach represented a shift in tone. Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said a letter sent by Vice President JD Vance showed a significant change in the US approach.

“Their tone has shifted completely,” Rezaei told Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, adding that he viewed the development as a positive sign. According to The New York Times, the letter reached Tehran through Qatari mediators and proposed direct negotiations led by Vance.

The report said Iran’s nuclear program would be part of discussions from the beginning. WSJ also described the communication as a framework for future negotiations rather than a final peace proposal. It reported that Vance sent the letter at Trump’s direction.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Tehran had reviewed the proposal and viewed Washington’s effort to reopen dialogue as a “positive step.” He said an aide had travelled to Doha for consultations with Qatari mediators.

Al Jazeera reported that a meeting could take place within a week, with Doha and Istanbul under consideration. However, no meeting has been officially confirmed. Even as diplomatic contacts continue, both sides have maintained strong public warnings.

Rubio also accused Iran of supporting Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iraqi militias while threatening commercial shipping in the region. He said US naval forces have continued intercepting drones and anti-ship missiles. Rubio warned that disruptions to shipping lanes could affect global food supplies by interrupting energy exports and agricultural trade.

Trump also addressed the situation during remarks at the White House on Friday. “There are talks, they want to talk, they keep talking,” Trump said. “We have time, frankly.” Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times.

She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues.

Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats.

Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments.

She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More