Said Amori
24 May 2026•Update: 24 May 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Sunday that any final agreement with Iran must “eliminate the nuclear program,” following talks with US President Donald Trump.
In a statement posted on the US social media company X, Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump last night about “the memorandum of understanding to reopen the Straits of Hormuz and the upcoming negotiations toward a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.”
“President Trump and I agreed that any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear danger,” Netanyahu claimed.
“That means dismantling Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites and removing its enriched nuclear material from its territory,” he added.
“My policy, like President Trump’s, remains unchanged: Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said.
Trump said Saturday that an agreement with Iran to end the war was "largely negotiated" and awaited finalization.
But Israel's public broadcaster KAN, citing an informed Israeli source, said early Sunday that Netanyahu expressed concern over the US administration’s handling of Iran's nuclear file during a phone call with Trump.
It also reported that Netanyahu was worried about a possible linkage of a potential US-Iran agreement and a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation and was later extended by Trump indefinitely.
*Writing by Rania Abushamala in istanbul.
