Israeli Prime Minister expresses skepticism over Trump’s capacity to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that while he and U.S. President Donald Trump sometimes disagree on Iran, they remain fully aligned on the core issues surrounding the country.

During an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said it was too early to predict what would happen after Washington and Tehran signed a temporary agreement.

He said, “President Trump believes he can stop Iran’s nuclear program,” but expressed doubt that this could be achieved.

“We agree on the major issues and occasionally disagree, but we are true allies,” Netanyahu added.

Hours after Trump indicated he was considering selling F‑35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, Netanyahu voiced opposition to the possible sale.

He warned that delivering the most advanced U.S. fighter aircraft “does not make Turkey a friend of the United States.”

As tensions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan persisted, Netanyahu described Ankara as “a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood that hates the United States.”

“This is not a force for peace and stability. If you give them this power, you will see aggression follow,” he said.

Trump, who is in Turkey to attend the NATO Summit, indicated he was prepared to lift the ban imposed during his first term on selling the aircraft to Ankara, describing Turkey as an “exceptional” U.S. ally.

Netanyahu, who publicly criticized the Iran nuclear deal reached under former U.S. President Barack Obama, has so far refrained from condemning the current cease-fire agreement between the United States and Iran.

According to the report, the agreement ended a war that Netanyahu had sought to continue and eased longstanding restrictions on Iran’s ability to sell oil in exchange for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The report added that the agreement could also lead to the easing of additional sanctions worth hundreds of billions of dollars if the two sides reach a permanent truce.

It said the agreement did not address the core issues raised by the United States and Israel at the start of the war in late February, including Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile production, its support for proxy groups, and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

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