...
By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Trump administration was providing daily updates to him about the Iran war, a statement that sparked backlash online from those calling for greater transparency with the American people.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said he had spoken with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Sunday, who had provided "in detail" the latest information on peace talks with Iran, "as this administration does every day," he said.
News of the daily briefings sparked outrage across the political spectrum, with some commentators saying this meant Israel was calling the shots.
Read More on World
"The Trump administration daily reports to Netanyahu on the Iranian war, but not Congress or the American people," Representative Mark Pocan, a Washington Democrat, posted on X. "Let that sink in."
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email Monday afternoon. Netanyahu's office referred Newsweek to his earlier comments.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has come under increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and voters over President Donald Trump's decision to carry out strikes against Iran in late February, sparking a weeks-long conflict alongside Israel. The U.S. has sought to reach a deal with Iran, but a ceasefire brokered by Pakistan was tested when Israel, not included in the deal, continued attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In recent days, efforts to secure a longer-term deal in the Gulf have not been successful, with Trump now promising to block the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
...
Netanyahu's Cabinet Meeting Comments: What To Know
Netanyahu told his Cabinet Monday that he had been in Lebanon to meet with Israeli forces, and praised their "incredible work" and "steadfast spirit" in fighting Hezbollah. Lebanon’s health ministry reported 2,020 deaths in the latest fighting, including 357 killed in a single wave of Israeli strikes last Wednesday.
The prime minister also talked about the communication with Israel's key ally: the U.S.
"I spoke yesterday with Vice President JD Vance," Netanyahu said. "He called me from his plane on the way back from Islamabad. He briefed me in detail, as members of this administration do daily, on the progress of the negotiations; in this case, the collapse of the negotiations.
"The explosion came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran's blatant violation of the agreement to enter into negotiations. The agreement was that firing would cease and the Iranians would immediately open the straits. They did not do it. The Americans could not accept that," Netanyahu said.
Vance also made it clear that the Trump administration's main objective is to remove all enriched material from Iran, the prime minister added, as well as ensuring Iran was not able to enrich more uranium in the coming years, adding "it is important to us as well."
Americans Criticize Daily Briefings
The reaction to Netanyahu's revelation about daily briefings was near instant on social media, with U.S. commentators and lawmakers alleging that this meant Israel was steering the Trump administration's actions.
"America is an Israeli puppet state," author Saifedean Ammous wrote on X, while Jack Cocchiarella, a progressive political YouTuber, was more explicit, saying, "JD Vance is Netanyahu’s b****".
Founder of Freedom of the Press and columnist Glenn Greenwald took a seemingly more sarcastic approach, saying, "I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal out of this. It's totally normal, everywhere on earth, to report in to your boss regularly -- even every day if he wants."
Several other X users suggested that Vance's reporting to Netanyahu told Americans all they needed to know.
What About Ongoing Peace Negotiations?
Joe Kent, a veteran who used to direct the National Counterterrorism Center, also took to X, saying further negotiations between the U.S. and Iran would fail if the U.S. did not "restrain the Israelis" who were calling for the "poison pill" of zero uranium enrichment.
"A deal can be reached about uranium enrichment [levels] & monitoring - ending the war & opening the [Strait of Hormuz]," Kent wrote. "This can only happen if we treat the Israelis like the junior partner & put our interests 1st."
Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy based in Washington, D.C., said Netanyahu's comments on Iran's stockpiles, meanwhile, was "a case study in self-inflicted crises".
"The uranium stockpiles he wants gone didn’t exist under the 2015 deal he helped kill," Toossi posted. "The Hormuz crisis stems from the war he pushed for. They broke what was working & demand solutions to the problems they created."
Update 4/13/26, 12: 50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines