Netanyahu reportedly urged Trump to resume Iran strikes before elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked US President Donald Trump to start actions against Iran before the elections in Israel and the United States, citing concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme, Axios reported Tuesday.

The report said that Netanyahu and Trump talked about a joint military attack on Iranian military and nuclear sites during discussions last week. US and Israeli officials said Netanyahu was worried that Iran was working to rebuild its power.

Trump has said he would not start attacks on Iran before the US midterm elections on November 3. Israel’s election is set for October 27.

The report said the Israeli and US militaries were on alert and getting ready for the chance of more strikes.

A US official told Axios that Netanyahu had brought up the matter several times. The official added that Trump told him to get ready but did not promise to allow an attack.

The White House denied the report, saying it was not true that Trump and Netanyahu talked about starting the war. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister kept in touch with Trump and other US officials but did not talk about what was said.

The talks happened while there are still efforts to reach an agreement with Iran about its programme.