Benjamin Netanyahu said he and Donald Trump “don’t always see eye-to-eye” on Monday, hours after the US president signed a peace agreement with Iran and grew frustrated at Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon.
Speaking at a press conference, the Israeli prime minister acknowledged that he and Trump are partners – “therefore we often agree and sometimes disagree”. The remarks came after Trump had described Netanyahu as a “very difficult guy” who should be “very thankful” to the US.
“Netanyahu says he and Trump ‘don’t always see eye to eye’ as US president signs peace deal with Iran.”
Trump announced the deal with Iran on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France, declaring it “all signed” and that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to traffic. The full text is expected to be released after a signing ceremony on Friday, he said.
A senior administration official clarified that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon is not a condition of the agreement. However, the official added that if Iran cannot control Hezbollah and prevent attacks on northern Israel, the Israeli army will have the right to respond.
The framework deal, which US and Iranian officials said was agreed on Sunday, aims to end the war, lift the US blockade of Iranian ports and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While still a framework and with details yet to be announced, it marks the biggest breakthrough in nearly four months of conflict.
But the accord faces scepticism from US intelligence. CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Trump that the intelligence community raised doubts about Iran’s willingness to make the nuclear concessions the administration is seeking. “The intelligence reflects that the Iranian intentions are not in line with their commitments under the deal,” one source told Axios.
A White House official said Trump “listens to all opinions on any given issue – but everyone understands he is the final decision-maker.”
Trump later claimed that Iran agreed to “never have a Nuclear Weapon!” The administration’s Memorandum of Understanding “meets all of the redlines that the administration has long articulated by ensuring that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, they cannot keep their highly enriched uranium, and they cannot hold the world's energy supply hostage”, the White House official said.
The announcement brought relief to world leaders anticipating lower energy prices once free trade resumes in the Gulf. But with Israel insisting its forces will remain in Lebanon and intelligence doubts over Iran’s commitments, the truce remains fragile.