ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJUNE 15, 2026 02:47Updated: JUNE 15, 2026 03:02US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu almost derailed a peace deal between the US and Iran in an interview with the New York Times on Sunday, following announcements that the agreement had been reached. Trump called Netanyahu “a very difficult guy” and asserted that he “should be very thankful” to the US for negotiating the agreement “because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours.”The memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington was announced on Sunday and will be signed on Friday in Switzerland.According to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, the signing of the agreement will kickstart 60 days of further negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program and other issues.Trump told the NYT that if no final nuclear agreement is reached with Tehran, the US would restart attacks on Iran and become “the guardian of the Middle East.”This is a developing story.Follow us on Google