US President Donald Trump said Sunday he was weighing whether to reach a deal with Iran or take further military action, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran against launching attacks to disrupt Israel's upcoming parliamentary elections.
"Do I make a deal with them or do I finish them off? That's the only question," Trump told Fox News in an interview aired Sunday.
Trump said the United States now controlled the Strait of Hormuz amid Washington's naval blockade of Iran.
"We now control the Hormuz Strait. We get everything, they get nothing," he said.
However, Trump ruled out an immediate attack on Iran when questioned by reporters before departing the White House for Michigan.
"The answer is no. There will not be a strike today," he said.
In Israel, Netanyahu said his government had intelligence indicating that Iran and its allied groups might launch attacks to interfere with Tuesday's vote.
"We have intelligence signs that our enemies, Iran and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office Sunday.
Speaking at an Arrow anti-ballistic missile battery, Netanyahu said Israel's military was prepared for both defensive and offensive operations.
"Don't test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows," he warned. "We are much stronger than you think."
Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv, alongside a post by right-wing commentator Yuval Bloomberg warning that Iran acquiring nuclear weapons could pose an existential threat to Israel.
The post warned that electing a leader unable to confront Iran could expose Israelis to the danger of a "second Holocaust."
The statements from both leaders came as diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions continued.
Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Sunday as part of a US-coordinated effort to ease regional tensions, Reuters reported, citing an official briefed on the situation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making regime change in Iran an explicit goal ahead of Israel’s election, while political rivals advocate tough measures against Tehran and criticize his failure to eliminate the Iranian threat.
The debate puts competing promises of security before voters whom analysts describe as exhausted by years of conflict, raising questions about what would constitute victory and how far Israel would go to achieve it.
“We must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime — that is the primary objective,” Netanyahu said Tuesday at Tel Hai University in Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border.
Netanyahu has long welcomed the prospect of the Islamic Republic’s collapse. Now, with Israelis voting on October 27, he is placing the removal of Iran’s leadership at the forefront of his message.
Netanyahu argued that weakening Iran militarily would not guarantee Israel’s security. As long as the Islamic Republic remains in power, he said, it will attempt to rebuild its nuclear capabilities and regional network.
“Finishing the job means bringing down the terrorist regime in Iran,” Netanyahu said, describing Tehran as the head of a “poisonous octopus” whose removal, he argued, would also bring down Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The declaration followed discussions with US President Donald Trump and an unannounced visit by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Washington, however, has not publicly committed to regime change, emphasizing instead the prevention of a nuclear-armed Iran.
Why emphasize regime change now?
Netanyahu’s declaration comes as he seeks another term following three years of war and repeated military confrontations with Iran and its regional allies.
Itai Reuveni, director of communications and outreach at NGO Monitor, said the prime minister was articulating what many Israelis had already understood to be the broader ambition behind military operations against Tehran.
“I think he just summarized all the things that everyone meant,” Reuveni told Iran International.
Making regime change the declared objective raises questions about whether weakening Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities would be sufficient for Netanyahu to claim victory.
Yaakov Katz, former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post and author of four books on Israel’s military, said repeated strikes alone cannot permanently eliminate the Iranian threat.
“You can bomb them, you can destroy facilities, you can set back nuclear programs, but they will rebuild,” Katz told Iran International.
Netanyahu is presenting regime change as the route to lasting Israeli security, a message delivered in Kiryat Shmona, a historically Likud-supporting community repeatedly targeted by Hezbollah.
Vivian Bercovici, Canada’s former ambassador to Israel and founder and editor-in-chief of State of Tel Aviv, said the location allowed Netanyahu to appeal directly to voters who have experienced the consequences of Iran’s regional influence.
But she questioned whether the declaration would persuade Israelis beyond his existing supporters.
“I really think that people have tuned him out,” she said.
A shared concern, a public tired of war
Those interviewed described opposition to the Islamic Republic as extending across much of Israel’s political spectrum, while drawing a distinction between agreement on the threat and enthusiasm for another military confrontation.
“It’s the one issue on which there’s no daylight in Israel,” Bercovici said.
Yet she described a public exhausted by years of fighting.
“I don’t think that Israel has any appetite for war,” she said. “We’ve had way too much war in the last three years.”
Reuveni described a similar tension. Many Israelis believe Iran’s immediate military threat has diminished following Israeli and American strikes, he said, complicating the case for further military action.
“People are tired from the war,” he said.
Katz said the election ultimately comes down to which leader Israelis trust to protect them, rather than any single declaration about Iran.
“What is important is the belief in which leader do Israelis think can keep them safe,” he said.
Does Netanyahu’s declaration set him apart?
Netanyahu’s explicit objective does not necessarily distinguish him from his political rivals, several of whom have advocated aggressive measures against Tehran and criticized his failure to eliminate the Iranian threat.
Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid are contesting the election together under the joint list Together (Beyachad).
Lapid has advocated striking Iran’s energy infrastructure, including Kharg Island, while Bennett has long promoted confronting Tehran directly rather than focusing on its regional proxies.
Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief who leads the centrist Yashar party, has questioned whether regime change is achievable through military action, emphasizing the permanent dismantling of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, has also advocated overthrowing the Islamic Republic and criticized previous Israeli efforts as insufficient.
Eric Mandel, founder and director of the Middle East Political and Information Network, said the broad agreement on Iran means a change of government in Israel would not necessarily produce a fundamental shift in policy.
“I think most Israelis know that it doesn’t matter who’s going to get elected, they’re going to have the same policy in Iran,” Mandel told Iran International.
But agreement on the threat is different from agreement on how to eliminate it.
Mandel said achieving regime change would require American involvement, underscoring the gap between Netanyahu’s declared ambition and Washington’s publicly stated objectives.
“Israel is a regional power, America is a superpower,” he said. “Israel could be very helpful, but Israel can’t do it on its own.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that toppling Iran’s regime was Israel’s “primary objective,” a day after discussing Iran with US War Secretary Pete Hegseth during an unannounced visit to Israel.
Netanyahu said he had also discussed bringing down Iran’s leadership with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, placing the issue at the center of his latest contacts with Washington.
“We must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime — that is the primary objective,” Netanyahu said at the opening of the academic year at the new Tel Hai University in Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border.
“I have spoken about this with President Trump more than once, including the day before yesterday.”
His remarks did not indicate whether Trump had agreed to pursue that objective or committed to further military action.
Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran specialist and former head of the Iran branch in Israeli Defense Intelligence, told Iran International that while the two leaders might agree on military targets, their strategic objectives could diverge.
"Netanyahu seeks to topple the regime, and Trump seeks to reach a good agreement with the same regime that Netanyahu seeks to topple," he said.
Hegseth discussed Iran with Netanyahu on Monday, three Israeli officials told Reuters. Netanyahu’s spokesman, Doron Spielman, confirmed that they met at Uvda air force base in Israel’s southern Negev desert.
Spielman said the talks covered regional threats and US-Israeli cooperation in confronting them through offensive and defensive measures.
Hegseth also thanked Israel for hosting US forces, which Spielman said numbered in the thousands, and discussed Trump’s support for Netanyahu.
‘Finishing the job’
Speaking on Tuesday, Netanyahu linked his stated objective in Iran to Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, saying the military had made major progress against the Lebanese group but pledging to “finish the job.”
“Finishing the job means bringing down the terrorist regime in Iran. It is the head of this poisonous octopus. You cut it off, and it will fall. We will also have peace with Lebanon,” he said.
Netanyahu argued that Iran’s leadership, even “battered, wounded and beaten,” would seek to pursue nuclear weapons and rebuild its regional network of allied armed groups.
“Therefore, the only way to prevent this is to bring down this regime, and then the elimination of Hezbollah will follow,” he said.
The Hegseth meeting came eight days before Israel’s October 27 election. Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday, ahead of the country’s first parliamentary vote since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
In his endorsement message, Trump praised Netanyahu’s role in confronting Iran and warned that Washington might have to act alone if another leader took office.
US and Israeli forces launched joint strikes against Iran in late February, setting off a wider regional war. The latest consultations come amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz and intensifying attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Saudi Arabia.
Washington and Tehran may still reach a limited deal, but fundamental disagreements leave open the prospect of renewed escalation, analysts told Iran International, with the period after elections in Israel and the United States emerging as a potential turning point.
Diplomatic efforts are continuing, with Qatar and Pakistan pushing for an agreement and The New Arab reporting Monday, citing sources familiar with mediation efforts, that a breakthrough could be announced this week.
The analysts interviewed by Iran International were more cautious, however, seeing little evidence that either side has made the concessions required for a broader agreement and identifying the coming elections as a factor that could shape the timing of diplomacy or renewed military action.
Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran specialist and former head of the Iran branch in Israeli Defense Intelligence, said continuing diplomatic exchanges did not amount to evidence of an imminent breakthrough because neither side appeared ready to make the compromise required for one.
"In order to have a breakthrough, one side needs to show significant compromise. And I don't see that in the Iranian side," he told Iran International.
Washington wants substantial restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities, while Tehran is prioritizing relief from the US blockade and sanctions, alongside the restoration of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran's seven-day proposal remained on the table. Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the strait within seven days if Washington accepted Tehran's conditions, paving the way for renewed negotiations.
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, saw greater scope for a limited arrangement than a comprehensive settlement, arguing that both Trump and Tehran have short-term incentives to reduce tensions without resolving their fundamental differences.
Trump, he argued, faces political pressure ahead of the November 3 midterm elections and could benefit from a diplomatic achievement. Tehran, meanwhile, needs economic relief as the blockade continues to undermine its finances.
"You might have a deal that could create ceasefire conditions for a short period of time, of weeks and months," Vatanka told Iran International.
But he said he had seen little indication that Tehran was willing to accept the kind of comprehensive agreement Trump could present as a major improvement over the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran's leadership, Vatanka argued, believes it has paid a heavy price for its nuclear program while demonstrating its ability to disrupt the global economy through the Strait of Hormuz. Economic pressures could encourage a narrow agreement, but sweeping concessions risk exposing divisions within the Islamic Republic's leadership.
A deal under the threat of force
The diplomatic activity comes as US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have intensified warnings of renewed military action.
On Sunday, Trump threatened to "soon finish the job" against Iran unless Tehran changed course, while giving Netanyahu his endorsement ahead of Israel's October 27 election.
Netanyahu, who has explicitly identified the removal of the Islamic Republic as an Israeli objective, has said Israel is prepared to act independently of Washington if necessary.
On Monday, Netanyahu released a video of a telephone conversation with Trump following the US president's endorsement of his reelection campaign.
"Donald, we have a job to finish, you said it, and we'll finish it together. We'll finish it, and no one else will do it," Netanyahu told Trump.
Shayan Samii, a geopolitical and national security analyst, said Trump's combination of negotiations and military threats allowed him to preserve both outcomes: claiming a diplomatic victory if talks succeed or demonstrating resolve through military action if they fail.
"The United States wants to keep the diplomatic avenue still open and valid. Why? Because it helps for domestic political purposes," Samii told Iran International.
"It allows Trump to say, I'm giving diplomacy all the chances in the world, but at the same time I'm keeping the pressure on them."
He also interpreted Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu as an attempt to increase Washington's leverage over the Israeli leader should he remain in power.
Samii suggested Iran or its regional allies could provoke a confrontation ahead of Israel's election, potentially providing a pretext for renewed strikes. He presented this as a possible scenario, not evidence of a planned operation.
Russia could influence the diplomatic track
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Tehran on Monday added another dimension to the diplomatic maneuvering.
Vatanka said Russia possesses considerably greater leverage over Iran than mediators such as Pakistan, Qatar or Oman, partly because Tehran depends on Moscow for diplomatic support.
That influence could become significant if negotiations require difficult concessions, including a possible arrangement to transfer Iran's highly enriched uranium to Russia.
But Vatanka questioned whether Moscow's interests necessarily aligned with Tehran's.
Russia would mediate "primarily to use it to get what Putin wants from Trump on the Ukraine front," he said.
Vatanka suggested Moscow could seek concessions from Washington over Ukraine in exchange for helping facilitate an agreement with Iran.
Tehran, however, may resist being used as a bargaining chip, particularly if Russian pressure requires abandoning positions the Islamic Republic considers fundamental.
Why the post-election period could prove decisive
If diplomacy fails to produce a breakthrough, Citrinowicz sees renewed escalation as increasingly difficult to avoid — but the elections may affect when it happens.
"With no breakthroughs, escalation is inevitable, because the status quo is unstable," he said.
He cautioned, however, that inevitable did not necessarily mean imminent.
The upcoming elections could influence the timing of any military operation. Israelis vote on October 27, followed by the US midterms on November 3.
Citrinowicz identified the period after the November 3 US midterms but before the newly elected Congress takes office in January as a possible window for military action, particularly if Republicans lose control of one or both chambers.
Vatanka similarly identified the post-election period as a potential turning point, arguing that Washington and Israel could consider additional pressure against Tehran once immediate electoral calculations had passed.
He said options could include continued enforcement of the blockade, limited military strikes and other measures designed to weaken or divide the Iranian establishment.
Yet the prospect of renewed military action raises a deeper question: whether Trump and Netanyahu ultimately seek the same outcome.
Citrinowicz argued that while the two leaders might agree on military targets, their strategic objectives could diverge.
"Netanyahu seeks to topple the regime, and Trump seeks to reach a good agreement with the same regime that Netanyahu seeks to topple," he said.
"Operationally, maybe there will be eye to eye in terms of what to attack, but strategically, I'm not sure if they see eye to eye."
That divergence leaves a central question unresolved: even if Washington and Israel agree on another round of strikes, they may not agree on what those strikes are ultimately meant to achieve.
Iranian military officials warned of a stronger response to any renewed US attack on Monday, as Russia's foreign minister visited Tehran for talks and regional security concerns grew following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi during an official visit, with talks also planned with President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The visit came as Iranian officials discussed the prospect of renewed fighting with the United States and the country's military capabilities.
Iran threatens US against new attack
The Revolutionary Guards said that Iran would respond more forcefully to any renewed US military action.
“The US entered the war with all its might, and it is certainly not in a position now to start a new conflict that would bring it any new gains,” Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi said on Monday.
Mohebi said most US bases in the region were inactive and American forces had moved hundreds of kilometers away from Iran.
Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Mostafa Izadi said US naval forces had moved approximately 700 kilometers away to avoid Iranian missiles, according to the Guards-affiliated Fars news agency.
Senior Guards adviser Mohammadreza Naghdi separately said Iran's missile facilities had survived heavy bombardment and its strategic stockpiles remained intact.
Germany summons Iranian ambassador
Germany summoned Iran's ambassador on Monday over attempted attacks targeting Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, chairman of the German-Israeli Society.
“Attacks on Jewish life and on those who defend it are something we will not tolerate - anywhere, and especially not in Germany,” the German Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
The ministry condemned Iran's activities and said the attempted attacks would have legal consequences.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also criticized Araghchi after the Iranian foreign minister accused French President Emmanuel Macron of supporting US military action against Iran.
Sa'ar accused Iran of suppressing protesters at home while criticizing France over its response to unrest.
Regional security concerns grow
Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense said the danger had passed in the southern Najran region after an earlier alert over a potential threat.
The announcement followed a Houthi attack on a Yemeni government military camp in Shabwa province that killed at least 18 people, Reuters reported, citing government and medical sources.
The US State Department urged Americans across the Middle East to exercise heightened vigilance, warning that Houthi attacks could disrupt flights and airspace.
The US Embassy in Riyadh separately warned that Iran and groups supporting it could target American interests overseas.
Economic uncertainty weighs on Iran
The prospect of renewed conflict has also affected economic activity, according to an Iranian lawmaker.
“When conditions are unstable, no one can make decisions about their life and future; they cannot make a deal, invest or take action,” Mohammadmehdi Shahriari, a member of parliament's national security committee, said on Monday.
Shahriari said proposals for negotiations with Washington had been raised and officials should be allowed to formulate a response.
Another lawmaker, Mohammad Rashidi, rejected suggestions that Iran's economy was approaching collapse under US pressure.
Meanwhile, Iran Air chief executive Taher Abdolhay said the national airline had only six operational aircraft despite employing more than 9,000 people, down from a fleet of 40.
Abdolhay cited operational restrictions and air traffic difficulties, adding that the airline had faced obstacles to flights intended to bring medicine into Iran.
The developments featured the competing pressures facing Iran, with officials emphasizing military preparedness and diplomatic engagement as concerns over renewed fighting continue to affect regional security and economic activity.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Washington could “soon finish the job” against Iran unless Tehran changed course, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to strike Iran without US support and vowed to bring down Tehran’s government.
“Unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, after saying Iran had been “systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially.”
Addressing the people of Israel directly, Trump pointed to Tehran’s long-standing slogans of “Death to Israel, Death to America,” saying it had only been a matter of time before Iran sought to act on such threats.
He endorsed Netanyahu for re-election in Israel’s October 27 parliamentary vote, calling him a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and an “even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He said that if Israel were led by “anyone other than Bibi,” the United States would have to take on the work against Iran itself, adding that he was “not inclined to do so.”
Trump gave Netanyahu his “Complete and Total Endorsement” for re-election and praised him as “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant.”
Netanyahu thanked Trump on X, saying: “Together we will complete the mission!”
Israelis will vote on October 27 in the country’s first national election since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack. The prime minister is not directly elected but emerges through coalition-building in the 120-seat Knesset.
Trump did not say what further action against Iran he had in mind. Earlier this month, he said the United States would not attack Iran before the November 3 US midterm elections and said Washington and Tehran were having “productive discussions.”
His latest comments come after he and Netanyahu discussed the possibility of a new military operation against Iran, according to Axios, which reported last week that the Israeli leader raised concerns about intelligence suggesting Tehran was trying to rebuild its nuclear program.
Netanyahu says Israel can strike Iran without US support
Separately on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to launch a preemptive strike against Iran without US support and that his objectives regarding Tehran did not depend on Washington’s approval.
“The objectives I set do not depend on American approval,” Netanyahu said as he presented an updated national security doctrine, according to Israel Hayom. “To the extent necessary, we will also act independently. We have done so before, and if necessary, we will do so again.”
Netanyahu described confronting Iran as his “life’s mission” and identified a nuclear-armed Iran as Israel’s greatest security threat. “We are prepared to take the initiative,” he said. “We must prevent the enemy from delivering the first blow.”
He said “90% of the job is done,” pointing to Iran’s economic crisis, recent protests and what he described as the government’s weakened position.
“We must bring this regime down once and for all,” Netanyahu said. “That is the directive I have given to all the security agencies.”
