Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pleaded with President Donald Trump to delay any potential US military action against Iran, a senior US official confirmed on Thursday. The appeal comes as Iran faces widespread protests that have shaken the country since late December.
Netanyahu spoke to Trump on Wednesday, the same day the US president suggested he had received reports from “very important sources” that Iran had paused executions and halted killings of protesters.
The remark hinted that Trump may be reconsidering a strike, which he has been weighing in recent days.
A senior US official emphasised that the president had not dismissed military options entirely, stating that any action would depend on how Iranian security forces respond to ongoing protests.
Several US allies in the Middle East, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt, have also urged restraint, urging that disagreements be resolved through dialogue. Officials from these countries have reportedly conveyed similar messages to Iranian authorities, warning that an American attack could trigger wider regional conflict.
In Washington, the White House is said to be monitoring Iran’s actions closely. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Trump and his team had communicated to the Iranian government that continued killings would carry “grave consequences.”
Israeli defence sources noted that the rate of killings in Iran has slowed, partly due to government restrictions on internet access and the reduced scale of protests since Sunday.
Human rights groups estimate that over 3,400 people have been killed, including a Canadian citizen, according to Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand.
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