Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had a difficult conversation on Tuesday about ceasefire talks, Axios reported on Wednesday.
Trump reportedly called Netanyahu on Tuesday to inform him that mediators were working on a "letter of intent" to end the war and launch a month-long period of negotiations, which would include matters such as Iran's nuclear program and opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Two Israeli sources stated that the two leaders were in clear disagreement about how to deal with Iran moving forward. One US source briefed on the call told Axios that "Bibi's hair was on fire after the call."
It is worth noting that Netanyahu has reportedly been worried during previous phases of negotiations. "Bibi is always concerned," one source told Axios.
The Axios report came as the US sent a new proposal to Iran through Pakistani mediators. Sources close to Iran's negotiating team told the Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim that Tehran's mediators were reviewing the document, but nothing had been finalized yet.
Also on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that Iran and the US are "right on the borderline," between restarting the war and making a deal.
"If we don't get the right answer, it could happen very quickly. We have not got the right answer. It will have to be 100% good answers”, Trump said, adding that he would give a “few days” for talks.
The report also mentioned that Qatar and Pakistan had drafted a revised peace memo to bridge the gaps between the US and Iran. Tehran said on Wednesday that talks were ongoing and that Pakistan's interior minister is in Tehran for his second visit in a week to help bridge the gaps.
According to an Arab official who spoke to Axios, the goal of the letter of intent is to try to get Iran to provide more tangible benchmarks from Iran regarding its nuclear program and clearer information from the US on how frozen Iranian funds will be released.
"As stated previously, Qatar has been and continues to support the Pakistan led mediation efforts, we have been consistently advocating for de-escalation for the sake of the region and its people," a Qatari diplomat told Axios.
Trump says Netanyahu 'will do whatever I want him to do'
This comes after Trump said that Netanyahu "will do whatever I want him to do" regarding Iran, but noted that the two have a good relationship.
"We'd have to open the Strait; that would open immediately. We're gonna give this one shot. I'm in no hurry," he added, referencing negotiations.
A source with knowledge of the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that there has been progress in talks with the Iranians on a "memorandum of understanding and principles" that would lay the groundwork for negotiations.
The sources noted that there are still gaps, and no agreement has been reached yet.