According to a report by Al Jazeera, on Monday June 8, 2026, Donald Trump has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to respond to Iran’s strikes on Israel, contacting him directly to discourage any military retaliation, according to multiple media reports.
Axios and Israel’s Channel 12 were among the outlets that reported Trump reached out to Netanyahu with the message, as tensions between Iran and Israel threatened to spiral further following the Iranian strikes.
Trump, speaking to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, said he was “very close” to finalizing a deal with Iran that would permanently end the ongoing conflict, and expressed concern that an Israeli counterstrike could derail those diplomatic efforts.
“The Iranian strikes didn’t hurt anybody. Hopefully, Israel is not going to retaliate. If Bibi strikes them back, it’s just gonna keep going like the last 47 years, or the last 3,000 years,” Trump said.
The U.S. president made clear he views a retaliatory Israeli strike as a direct threat to an emerging diplomatic framework with Tehran, warning that escalation could unravel negotiations that he described as being in their final stages.
Trump did not offer additional details on the nature or timeline of the prospective deal.
The reported phone call to Netanyahu represents a direct American intervention at a critical juncture, with Washington apparently seeking to prevent a fresh cycle of hostilities between the two long-standing adversaries.
Iran’s strikes on Israel had raised immediate fears of a broader regional escalation.
Trump’s comments signal that the White House is prioritizing a negotiated resolution with Iran over backing an Israeli military response, at least for the moment, as both tracks — diplomacy and potential armed conflict — remain in play simultaneously across the region.
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