Politics is fast. We're faster. Sign up to the DC Insider newsletter for a front-row seat to Washington... and unlock 3 FREE months of DailyMail+ HERESee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 12:46 BST, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 17:51 BST, 25 May 2026
Benjamin Netanyahu's hawkish associates are scrambling to pressure the Israeli prime minister into derailing Donald Trump's looming peace deal with Tehran as the agreement nears finalization, potentially today. Netanyahu's national security minister Ben Gvir said the Israeli leader must 'bang on Trump's table and inform him that we are returning to war in Lebanon.' His statement comes amid reports that a US-Iran deal would forge a comprehensive Middle East peace, including an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.Other leading figures in Israel are also pressuring Netanyahu to sabotage the peace effort, including opposition leader Yair Lapid. He blasted the proposed US-Iran agreement as 'bad for Israel, bad for the region, bad for the citizens of Iran,' warning it fails to constrain Tehran's nuclear program, missile stockpiles, or support for regional proxies.Lapid also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of losing Trump's confidence and being sidelined from the decision-making.Israeli opposition to a deal comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday in India the US may have news to announce 'maybe today' about finalizing an agreement with the regime. Rubio told reporters there is a 'pretty solid thing on the table' covering the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and a time-limited nuclear negotiation. Trump blasted critics who suggested his agreement would mirror the 2015 Obama-era nuclear pact that he tore up during his first term.'The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal. It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran. No, I don’t do deals like that!' Trump wrote. Benjamin Netanyahu's hawkish associates are scrambling to pressure the Israeli prime minister into derailing Donald Trump's looming peace deal with Tehran as the agreement nears finalization, potentially today An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11 Rubio told reporters there is a 'pretty solid thing on the table' covering the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and a time-limited nuclear negotiation Netanyahu's national security minister Ben Gvir said the Israeli leader must 'bang on Trump's table and inform him that we are returning to war in Lebanon'Trump announced yesterday afternoon that the Iranian peace agreement was 'largely negotiated' but still 'subject to finalization.''In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,' he said on Truth Social.At the center of negotiations is a disagreement over how to deal with Iran's enriched uranium stockpile. The US is demanding that Iran turn over its stockpile to the US or have it destroyed. Iran has declined to hand it over but is reportedly open to discussing ways in which it can be disposed of. The regime is also demanding that the US unfreeze upwards of $100 billion in frozen Iranian assets before agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.A deal would mark a significant breakthrough following months of escalating tensions in the Gulf, where the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent global oil prices surging and disrupted shipping routes critical to the world economy.Gas prices in the US have skyrocketed to $4.50 a gallon on average, while the price of oil has remained near $100 dollars a barrel since the start of the war. In a sprawling Truth Social post, Trump said negotiations with Iran are 'proceeding nicely' but warned it would be 'a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all.' Trump also called on Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, and Jordan to immediately sign onto the Abraham Accords as part of the broader settlement. He added that Iran itself would be welcomed into the coalition if it finalizes its agreement with the US.
