US President Donald Trump will hold a closed-door meeting with intelligence officials on Thursday, May 21, according to a schedule released by the White House.
The head of state will hold a briefing at 10:00 AM local time (5:00 PM Bulgarian time).
The meeting will last only an hour, after which Trump will participate in a press conference with a representative of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Earlier this week, Trump wrote on TruthSocial that Washington had canceled the planned May 19 strikes against Iran at the request of the leaders of three Persian Gulf countries. He noted that he had ordered Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth and the US military command to end the strike and prepare for a full-scale offensive against Iran "if an acceptable deal is not reached."
Axios reported that the two sides were close to an agreement and a memorandum of understanding. Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the key US demand is for Iran to give up its nuclear weapons.
The phone call in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump discussed negotiations with Iran was tense, Axios reports, citing three sources.
According to them, the leaders did not agree on the next steps regarding Iran.
According to the media sources, Trump informed Netanyahu that mediators are preparing a “letter of intent” that the US and Iran can sign to formally end the war and begin a 30-day period of negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to one source, Netanyahu was extremely worried after the conversation. Another source described the conversation as “difficult.” A U.S. source said “Netanyahu’s hair was on fire” during the conversation.
In Israel, according to Axios, the prime minister is believed to be skeptical of negotiations and would prefer a resumption of military action to weaken Iran’s military capabilities and attack its infrastructure.
Trump, for his part, continues to argue that a deal with Tehran is possible, but he himself is prepared to support a resumption of military action if diplomacy fails. “The only question is whether we get this done or they sign the document. "We'll see what happens," he said Wednesday at an event at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
According to Axios, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are currently working on an updated proposal to bridge the differences between the United States and Iran. Sources say the new draft includes more specific commitments from Tehran on its nuclear program and details for the gradual unfreezing of Iranian assets by the United States.
The Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry said that negotiations were continuing "based on Iran's 14-point proposal" and that Pakistan's interior minister was in Tehran participating in the mediation efforts.
The White House and the Israeli prime minister's office declined to comment for this story. An Israeli source also told Axios that Netanyahu would like to travel to Washington in the coming weeks to meet with Trump.
The Israeli prime minister's office announced the phone call between Netanyahu and Trump on Sunday, May 17.