Benjamin Netanyahu ‘not surprised’ by US-Iran negotiations development, officials say

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not surprised by Wednesday’s developments in the negotiations between the US and Iran, officials close to the Prime Minister told The Jerusalem Post.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in constant contact with US President Donald Trump, and they speak almost daily. There is direct contact between the prime minister’s aides and the president’s aides,” the source said.

Additionally, the source told the Post that, according to recent communications between the US and Israel, Trump is “standing firm on his red lines, chief among them the removal of the nuclear material.”

“The Prime Minister instructed the IDF to be prepared for every scenario, including a return to fighting, should that be required,” the officials added.

Pakistani officials are expressing cautious optimism that a diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran may be within reach, after Trump ordered a pause in Project Freedom, which aimed to use American assets in the region to help ships in the Persian Gulf cross the Strait of Hormuz.

In an interview, Islamabad-based Pakistani foreign affairs analyst Omer Azhar said senior Pakistani officials believe the discussions are moving toward a possible memorandum of understanding.

“The sense within Pakistani official circles is that we are moving closer to a deal,” Azhar said. “The terminology has shifted. Instead of a comprehensive agreement, the expectation now is an MoU that could lay the groundwork for further negotiations.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly welcomed the pause in Project Freedom, issuing a statement thanking the Trump administration. But Azhar said that while there is optimism among officials, it has not yet produced visible developments on the ground.

“While there is a lot of positive sentiment in official corridors, there is currently no concrete activity suggesting an imminent summit,” he said.

Islamabad appears calm. There have been no signs of heightened security, and major hotels that had previously been reserved for possible diplomatic delegations remain open to the public. That suggests no high-level meetings are scheduled in the immediate future.

“That will be the thorn in the process,” Azhar said. “It’s the issue that could ultimately define whether talks succeed or stall.”