Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement at the opening of the political-security cabinet meeting this evening (Wednesday) in which he addressed reports that Israel was surprised by the recent progress in the talks between the US and Iran.
"We are in constant contact with our friends in the United States. I speak with President Trump almost on a daily basis. My people and his people speak on a daily basis, including today. And I will also speak with President Trump later tonight. We have full coordination, there are no surprises. We share common goals, and the most important goal is to remove the enriched material from Iran, all the enriched material, and dismantle the enrichment capabilities from Iran," Netanyahu said.
"President Trump believes he can achieve it one way or another. But we are prepared for any scenario, and this is my instruction to the IDF and our security forces. Israel is stronger than ever, Iran and its proxies are weaker than ever," he added.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Israel was surprised by US President Donald Trump's change in position on negotiations with Iran.
President Trump stated today that a deal to end the war against Iran may be reached before he departs for China next week.
Earlier, Axios reported that the US and Iran are nearing a one-page agreement to end the war.
The deal, Axios said, reportedly involves a mutual lifting of restrictions around transit in the Strait of Hormuz, the US lifting sanctions and releasing frozen Iranian funds, and Iran agreeing to a "moratorium" on nuclear enrichment. Some of the sections would be contingent on a final agreement being reached.
Following the Axios report, Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran, warning that "if they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before."
At the same time, Trump told the New York Post that it is "too soon" to talk about face-to-face negotiations with the Iranians and that he did not think that new talks in Pakistan are close at hand.