Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Donald Trump on Sunday minutes before convening a limited security cabinet discussion on the Iran war, amid mounting reports that Washington and Jerusalem are weighing a resumption of military action against Tehran.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed the call to The Times of Israel. According to The Jerusalem Post, the conversation lasted more than half an hour and also covered Trump’s recent state visit to China, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a series of tariff, agricultural and aircraft deals described by Beijing as “preliminary”.
After the call, Trump issued a sharp ultimatum on Truth Social. “For Iran, the Clock is ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE,” he wrote.
Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was considering lifting US sanctions on Chinese oil companies buying Iranian oil — China is Iran’s largest crude customer — but added: “I’m not asking for any favors because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return,” when pressed on whether Xi had committed to pressuring Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran would welcome Chinese input, but warned that Iran no longer trusted the United States, which has previously interrupted talks by launching air strikes.
The exchange comes hours after Middle East stock markets fell sharply on doubts over the US–Iran deal, and following Saturday’s first direct drone strike on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant — a qualitative escalation in the regional war that Sri Lankan officials are tracking closely for fuel-supply and shipping implications.
