Trump Says Netanyahu Will Follow His Lead on Iran Strikes as Hormuz Standoff Deepens
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 20
Trump Says Netanyahu Will Follow His Lead on Iran Strikes as Hormuz Standoff Deepens
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 20
Trump said Wednesday that Benjamin Netanyahu would do “whatever I want him to do,” signaling he believes Israel’s next move on Iran remains under U.S. control after a call on possible renewed attacks.
That came after Trump said he had delayed a fresh strike on Monday following Gulf intervention, even as he kept open the option of more airstrikes to force Tehran to accept U.S. terms.
Tehran is refusing Washington’s demands on domestic uranium enrichment and instead wants sanctions relief in exchange for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. has countered with a blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned they would widen the war if U.S. assaults resume, underscoring the risk to oil flows and the domestic political pressure Trump faces from higher gasoline prices.
A New York Times report that Israel explored helping former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad emerge as an alternative leader was widely treated as implausible, highlighting how badly Washington and Israel may have misread Iran’s internal opposition.
With Iran's leader ailing, will foreign intervention or internal politics decide the country's volatile future?
Was the plot to back Ahmadinejad a failed coup or a psychological masterstroke to fracture Tehran's leadership?
Is the Hormuz crisis about nuclear arms, or is it the final battle for global oil and dollar supremacy?