Trump Talks With Netanyahu, Signals Continued Iran Dialogue

2026-06-02

U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media on the 1st that he had spoken by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that talks with Iran were continuing at a fast pace. He also claimed that he had brought back Israeli forces heading toward Beirut and mediated a halt to the attacks.

Exchange over Beirut attacks

Iran is intensifying its backlash over the Israeli military's continued attacks on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group in Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on social media on the 1st that the United States and Israel should bear responsibility for the consequences of violating the ceasefire.

Trump said he had also held a phone conversation with Hezbollah through a mediator, and that both sides had agreed to stop the attacks. Reuters reported that Hezbollah is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization and that dialogue between a U.S. president and Hezbollah would be unprecedented.

U.S.-Iran talks remain tense

Trump has repeatedly said he believes Iran will eventually accept U.S. demands. However, Iran's hardline stance remains unchanged over the nuclear issue and the Strait of Hormuz. Before his post on the 1st, he said on a CNBC program that he would not mind if the talks collapsed.

Netanyahu said on social media on the 1st that he had spoken with Trump, and stated that he would not change his policy of attacking Beirut unless Hezbollah's attacks stopped. He also said Israel intends to continue military operations in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are stationed.

Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on the 1st that Iran's negotiating team had halted talks with the United States through mediators and exchanges of documents. It said a U.S.-Iran ceasefire is premised on a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.

U.S. news site Axios reported on May 30 that Trump had sought revisions to a proposal to end the fighting with Iran to explicitly include the disposal of highly enriched uranium. Tasnim also reported on the 31st that the Iranian side planned to make revisions as well. Iran further said the front could also heat up at the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, the exit to the Red Sea, in addition to the Strait of Hormuz.

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