PMO denies it seeks to strike Iran nuclear sites in a bid to disrupt US-Iran talks
The Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday denied the New York Times report that, in a conversation between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister threatened to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, with the US expressing concerns that such strikes could disrupt nuclear talks.
The PMO called the report "fake news."
The call between Trump and Netanyahu took place last Thursday, following a shooting attack in Washington in which two Israeli embassy staff were killed.
According to the senior White House official, Trump told Netanyahu that he wants to reach a diplomatic solution withIran and 'does not want anything to interfere with that.'
The official said Trump's message to Netanyahu was that 'this is not the time to escalate the situation while he is trying to resolve the issues.'
Trump emphasized to Netanyahu that 'the second option is still on the table,' but he prefers to first see if a diplomatic solution can be reached.
The senior White House official added that during the call, 'President Trump encouraged Netanyahu to act cautiously.'
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