The U.S. news website Axios reported on the 20th that mediators such as Qatar and Pakistan are still working hard to promote an agreement between the United States and Iran, but the leaders of the United States and Israel have differences over the direction of the next steps regarding Iran.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report said that the mediators have revised a draft memorandum of peace in an attempt to bridge the gap between the U.S. and Iran. Earlier this week, Qatar sent a delegation to Iran to discuss the latest draft with the Iranian side. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the 20th that the relevant negotiations are “continuing based on Iran’s 14-point proposal”, and that Pakistan’s Interior Minister is currently in Iran assisting with the mediation. An Arab official said the goal of the mediation is to get Iran to make more concrete commitments regarding its nuclear program and to push the U.S. side to provide more details on how to unfreeze Iranian assets that have been frozen.
U.S. President Trump stated to the media on the 20th that he and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have a unified stance on Iran, saying, “Netanyahu will handle the Iran issue the way I told him to,” but according to informed sources, Trump had a long and difficult call with Netanyahu on the night of the 19th. Trump informed Netanyahu that the mediators are drafting a letter of intent, and if the U.S. and Iran sign this document, it would mean the official end of the war, after which negotiations on issues such as Iran’s nuclear program and navigation of the Strait of Hormuz would begin during a 30-day period.
An American source who was briefed on the call said that after the call ended, Netanyahu appeared "exasperated." Two Israeli sources said that there are differences between Israeli and American leaders over the direction of next steps.
The report stated that Netanyahu is highly skeptical of the negotiations and wants to restart military action, destroy Iran’s key infrastructure, further weaken its military capabilities, and destabilize its regime. Trump, on the other hand, believes that the U.S. and Iran can reach an agreement, though the U.S. is also ready to resume military actions if necessary. One Israeli source revealed that Netanyahu intends to visit the U.S. in the coming weeks to meet with Trump.