Trump and Netanyahu Reportedly Discuss Renewed Iran Fighting by Phone

U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone on Saturday morning, October 31, U.S. time, about renewed fighting against Iran, according to people familiar with the discussion. Reports of the conversation emerged early Sunday in Israel as Washington considered possible further military action. The reported call followed a discussion between Trump and senior military commanders about options for renewing operations against Iran. The accounts described a leaders' consultation about the Iran confrontation, without reporting an agreed operation or a date for strikes. The conversation was attributed to several people familiar with it. Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had not decided whether to take further military action. Speaking at the conclusion of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, Rubio said the president preferred diplomacy if it addressed American security concerns. “If there is a diplomatic solution, we would be open to it,” Rubio said. He said he did not know whether Qatar-led diplomatic efforts had a specific timeframe. The two leaders have previously discussed both Iran's nuclear program and negotiations. In a May 24 statement about a call the previous evening, Netanyahu said their agreed objectives included dismantling Iranian enrichment facilities and removing enriched nuclear material. He also said they had discussed a memorandum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations on a final nuclear agreement.