“His hair was on fire“. “His hair was on fire,” we could literally translate from English. The metaphor helps us understand that someone is “burning with rage”, “like crazy”, “feverish”. It describes extreme panic, absolute urgency or uncontrolled chaos. Well, that, apparently, was the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, after finishing a telephone conversation with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, about the war in Iran.
It has been revealed by the North American digital Axios. Apparently, the two leaders held a tense and complicated conference on Tuesday to discuss a new diplomatic effort aimed at reaching an agreement with Tehran, debated intensely behind the scenes but without public results, for now. The call was described by three different sources – all cited on condition of anonymity – as a “difficult” exchange. Once again, it highlights the growing strategic gap between both leaders regarding the future of the Middle East.
One of the officials familiar with what happened, quoted by the portal, goes so far as to graphically state that Netanyahu ended the exchange extremely upset. It’s when he says that “the hair of Bibi “I was on fire after the call.”
The epicenter of the discord must be found in a revised peace memorandum that has been drafted jointly by Qatar and Pakistan, two of the main mediators in this crisis, with direct contributions from other key players in the region such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt. This coordinated diplomatic effort seeks to bridge the deep differences that separate the US and Iran and to do so urgently, at a time when President Trump is visibly struggling between ordering a massive military attack against Tehran or containing the offensive in favor of a negotiated resolution.
Unlike the White House, Prime Minister Netanyahu is deeply skeptical about the course of these peace negotiations. According to Israeli intelligence sources cited by Axiosprefers to resume direct military operations in order to further degrade Iran’s war capabilities, “definitively,” it further says The Jerusalem Postand definitively weaken the stability of the theocratic regime through the systematic destruction of its critical infrastructure.
It must be remembered that the elections in Israel, which were scheduled for autumn, are going to be brought forward, that Netanyahu’s critics are organizing a single candidacy against him to remove him from power, that he has friction with his current allies for example over his behavior with the Gaza Flotilla activists and that, above all, he has had Iran between his eyebrows for decades. The Likud leader does not want to settle for damaging the regime, but rather wants to put an end to it so that, he says, it stops being an “existential threat” against his archenemy. It is the biggest electoral trump card he can play.
For his part, Trump publicly insists that he sees a diplomatic solution as viable, although he maintains a two-track stance. “The only question is if we go and finish it or if they are going to sign a document. Let’s see what happens,” the president declared last Wednesday during a speech at the North American Coast Guard Academy. Hours later, he reaffirmed the volatility of the current scenario by pointing out that the two countries are “right on the border line” between consolidating a historic pact or formally resuming the war immediately.
Behind-the-scenes diplomacy and regional mediation
Despite these leaks, in Washington political circles Trump has minimized friction with his strategic ally in Tel Aviv, even stating to his advisors: Netanyahu “will do what I want him to do” regarding Iran, he has even said. He also insists that the personal relationship between the two continues to be excellent. It’s old and deep, with fairly robust mutual interests.
Although both leaders have had temporary tactical disagreements in the past over managing the Iranian threat, their administrations have maintained close coordination throughout the current conflict. And it goes without saying that Washington has done everything for Tel Aviv in Palestine, including the Gaza genocide. Also in Lebanon or Syria.
Meanwhile, Tehran has officially confirmed that it is evaluating the updated proposal, although Western sources warn that Iranian authorities have not yet shown clear signs of flexibility, CNN quotes. According to two Arab officials and an Israeli source, Axiosthe Qatari government recently presented this new draft to both Washington and Tehran in an attempt to unblock the process. However, a fourth source clarified that there is no independent Qatari text as such, but that Doha diplomacy acts only as a facilitator to iron out the rough edges derived from the previous draft prepared by Pakistan. It is in this Asian country where the, so far, only formal contacts between the two delegations have taken place, indirectly.
The new diplomatic effort pursues very specific objectives for both parties: on Iran’s side, they want to obtain much more tangible and verifiable commitments on the steps to follow regarding the limitations of its nuclear program; by the US, they aspire to define with chronological and technical precision the mechanism by which the billions of dollars in Iranian funds that remain frozen will be gradually released.
As part of this non-war offensive, a high-level Qatari delegation traveled to Tehran earlier this week to discuss the technicalities of the document face to face. Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the talks are continuing, stressing that they are being developed “on the basis of Iran’s 14-point proposal,” and highlighted the importance of the presence in Tehran of Pakistan’s Interior Minister, in what marks his second official visit to the Iranian capital in less than a week.
“Correct answers”
Despite the mediation deployment, the sources consulted by the digital emphasize that it remains an absolute unknown whether the leadership in Tehran will accept the content of the new draft or if it will be willing to modify its positions significantly. A Qatari diplomat, when asked about his country’s role, formally stated: “As stated previously, Qatar has been and continues to support mediation efforts led by Pakistan; we have consistently advocated for de-escalation for the benefit of the region and its people.” You can read that far.
The terms for talks to prosper remain very demanding. The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran emphasized in his note yesterday that, for the dialogue to be successful, it is essential that the White House put an end to what he described as “piracy” against Iranian ships and proceed with the unblocking of financial assets. Likewise, Tehran demands as an unavoidable condition that Israel immediately cease its military operations in Lebanon.
In Washington, Tuesday night’s call continues to generate echoes. According to an American source informed of the conversation, Trump detailed to Netanyahu that mediators are working on a “letter of intent” that both nations would sign to formally end the war, opening a peremptory 30-day period of exclusive negotiations on nuclear development and the full reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, 20% of the world’s crude oil passed through there.
The concern of the Israeli Government has quickly permeated the halls of Congress in Washington, where it was reported that Netanyahu’s ambassador had expressed to several legislators the deep concern of his premier after his contact with Trump. A spokesman for the legation later denied this version, pointing out that “the ambassador does not comment on private conversations,” but analysts recall that Netanyahu usually shows high levels of alert in critical phases of negotiation. “Bibi is always worried,” another diplomatic source minimized to Axios.
Last night, and despite the prevailing uncertainty, Trump has shown himself willing to grant a very narrow margin of waiting, warning that war actions could resume “very quickly” if “the right answers” are not obtained from Iran. “If I can save people from dying waiting a couple of days, I think that’s a great thing to do,” he concluded.
