
A tense phone call took place on Monday between US Vice President JD Vance and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios reported. According to the report, Vance harshly criticized Netanyahu, accusing him of “selling” President Donald Trump the idea of an “easy” war against Iran.
According to sources, Vance questioned the way Netanyahu had portrayed regime change in Iran as highly likely.
"Before the war, Bibi had presented the president as something easy, making regime change seem much more achievable than it actually was. The vice president had a clear picture of some of these statements," a US official was quoted as saying to Axios, using Netanyahu's nickname.
After the call, another US official said Israel was undermining Vance, who has taken a key role in efforts to reach a ceasefire with Iran. Vance, known for his stance against protracted wars abroad, is involved in the negotiations along with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The same source accused Israel of being behind reports that Iran seeks to negotiate directly with Vance, considering him more flexible in reaching an agreement to end the conflict.
"It is an Israeli operation against JD," the American official told Axios, while the medium emphasizes that there is no concrete evidence for such a claim.
The same report also quotes another American official, according to whom Vance is seen as the most likely figure to reach an agreement with Iran.
"If the Iranians can't make a deal with Vance, then they won't make a deal with anyone. He's the best option they have," a senior US official told Axios.