Netanyahu urges Trump to strike Iran after U.S. midterms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged U.S. President Donald Trump to launch a new strike on Iran soon after the U.S. congressional midterm elections on November 3. The request came in a phone call on October 31, as the two discussed developments in Washington-Tehran negotiations and options for further strikes. According to an Axios report cited by several media outlets, Trump resisted moving quickly and wanted to give diplomacy a chance. Israeli sources described the call as tense, while U.S. sources called it frank. At the same time, Vice President J.D. Vance sent a message to Mohsen Rezaei to reopen formal negotiations, and Qatar is still speaking with Iranian representatives. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said no agreement has been reached and Tehran is still waiting for a U.S. response on outstanding issues.