Trump, Netanyahu's Iran phone call turns into 'shouting match from hell': Report

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly had a heated phone conversation over whether to resume military strikes against Iran, with one source describing it as a “shouting match from hell”.

According to a report by Israeli outlet Ynet, the two leaders disagreed over the next course of action against Tehran. Netanyahu was said to be pressing for fresh military strikes, while Trump favoured continuing diplomatic efforts.

The reported disagreement comes after Trump's Republican Party suffered a major defeat in the US midterm elections, with the Iran conflict being blamed for the setback.

The tensions also come amid threats from Tehran to target US military bases and widen the conflict beyond the Middle East to countries allied with Washington.

Netanyahu's office denies report

Netanyahu's office has rejected claims that the two leaders were involved in a heated exchange during a phone call over the weekend.

“Fake news, complete nonsense,” the Israeli prime minister's office told Ynet in response to the report.

Unnamed sources familiar with the conversation had described the call as particularly tense, with one calling it a “shouting match from hell”. However, a senior Israeli official confirmed that the conversation took place but said it was “very much not a difficult conversation”.

This is not the first time reports of disagreements between Trump and Netanyahu have surfaced during the conflict.

Also Read: After Venezuela and Iran, Trump sets sights on another military intervention before leaving office

In June, Trump acknowledged using strong language during a conversation with the Israeli prime minister over Israel's continued military operations in Lebanon.

During an interview, podcast host and conservative commentator Miranda Devine asked Trump whether he had told Netanyahu, “Are you f**ing crazy?”, “What are you fing doing?” and “I helped you stay out of jail”.

Trump replied, “I did. I wouldn’t say angry; I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. At some point I said, ‘Bibi, you’ve got to stop this. You’ve got to stop it.”

Despite admitting to the exchange, Trump maintained that the two leaders remained on cordial terms.