Donald Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone on Saturday as Washington assessed options for potentially resuming military operations against Iran, according to a US media report citing people familiar with the conversation.
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Washington → speak → conversation
The call followed a meeting at the White House earlier in the week, during which Trump discussed possible military action with senior military commanders, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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Journal → follow → commanders
The diplomatic engagement comes as the US continues to explore negotiations with Tehran while keeping the possibility of fresh military strikes open.
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US → come → strikes
US secretary of state
Marco Rubio said talks with Iran had not stopped, adding that Trump had yet to decide whether to resume military action.
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Trump → say → action
Speaking to reporters after the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Georgia, Rubio said Washington remained open to a diplomatic settlement, provided it addressed US security concerns.
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it → speak → concerns
“There are multiple talks; talks have actually never stopped.
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talks → be → ?
There's been active conversations going both in some cases directly, but often through intermediaries,” he said.
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he → be → intermediaries
Asked how long the US would allow diplomatic efforts to continue before considering military action, Rubio declined to set a deadline or assess the progress of negotiations.
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Rubio → ask → negotiations
“I'm not gonna characterise either the progress on those talks or any timeframe on it other than to tell you that if there is a diplomatic solution, we would be open to it,” he said.
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he → go → it
Rubio said any agreement would have to address Iran's nuclear programme and its support for armed groups in the region.
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agreement → say → region
He also accused Tehran of threatening commercial shipping and disrupting maritime trade.
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He → accuse → trade
On the possibility of renewed strikes, the US secretary of state declined to discuss specific military plans but said Washington believed it could achieve its objectives through force if required.
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it → renew → force
“We can achieve military objectives if we seek to.
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we → achieve → objectives
He hasn't made a decision,” Rubio said, referring to Trump.
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Rubio → make → Trump
US, Israel reportedly prepare for possible escalation
The Jerusalem Post, citing Israeli defence assessments, reported that the US and Israel were preparing for the possibility of renewed strikes, although Israeli officials remained uncertain about the timing of any escalation.
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officials → prepare → escalation
According to the report, Israeli defence officials believe Iran is unlikely to accept an agreement requiring it to completely abandon its nuclear programme or stop producing ballistic missiles.
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Iran → accord → missiles
They also assess that Tehran may be seeking to prolong negotiations ahead of the US midterm elections.
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Tehran → assess → elections
The report said that despite preparations by the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) for a possible operation, the White House was not expected to order strikes before the midterm elections unless it detected preparations for a surprise attack.
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it → say → attack
The US and Israel have reportedly also drawn up plans for renewed strikes after the elections.
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US → draw → elections
The Jerusalem Post further reported that more than 3,000 American troops were stationed in Israel, while there had been no sharp increase in the number of US military aircraft redirected to the country during the previous week.
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troops → report → week
Last week, 10 US Air Force transport aircraft arrived at Israeli Air Force bases in southern Israel as part of a wider military air convoy moving equipment across the Middle East, according to KAN News.
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aircraft → arrive → News
The aircraft had travelled from Fort Bliss in Texas and were believed to be carrying air defence systems.
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aircraft → travel → systems
Other aircraft in the convoy landed in Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
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aircraft → land → Jordan
The report also referred to the transfer of an additional Patriot air defence system to the region.
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report → refer → region
Iran signals response to US diplomatic overture
Even as Washington continued to signal its willingness to negotiate, Iranian officials offered their assessment of the latest diplomatic exchanges.
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officials → signal → exchanges
Iran's top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, said the tone of a letter from US Vice President JD Vance had changed significantly.
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tone → say → Vance
“Their tone has shifted completely, which is a good sign that shows that our people have secured their victory,” Rezaei told Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
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Rezaei → shift → IRIB
The letter was delivered to Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, through Qatari mediators on Sunday.
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letter → deliver → Sunday
According to The New York Times, the US proposal envisaged direct talks led by Vance, with Iran's nuclear programme included in discussions from the outset.
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programme → accord → outset
The Wall Street Journal, citing a source, reported that the communication outlined a “framework for negotiations” rather than specific peace terms.
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communication → cite → negotiations
The letter was sent at Trump's direction.
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letter → send → direction
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran had studied the letter and described Washington's attempt to initiate dialogue as a “positive step”.
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Tehran → say → step
He also said an aide had travelled to Doha for consultations with mediators.
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aide → say → mediators
Citing sources, Al Jazeera reported that a meeting could take place within a week, with Doha and Istanbul being considered as possible venues.
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Doha → cite → venues
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, meanwhile, warned that the country's armed forces would respond to any military or terrorist attacks by the US or Israel.
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forces → warn → US
He said Iran's response would be “geographically unrestricted”, adding that the armed forces and the Iranian people would determine the timing and conditions for ending any future confrontation.
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forces → say → confrontation
Rubio accuses Tehran of threatening maritime trade
Rubio also criticised Iran's conduct at sea, accusing Tehran of deliberately targeting commercial vessels carrying cargo, oil and natural gas.
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Rubio → accuse → cargo
He said US naval forces were intercepting incoming drones and anti-ship missiles almost every night.
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forces → say → drones
Despite the security concerns, he said petroleum transit volumes remained comparable to pre-conflict levels.
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volumes → say → levels
The secretary of state warned that disruptions to maritime trade could have consequences for global food security, particularly if supplies of fuel, agricultural inputs and food commodities were affected.
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supplies → warn → fuel
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
