Netanyahu questions Trump’s ability to stop Iran’s nuclear programme

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that although he and US President Donald Trump occasionally disagree over Iran, they are “completely aligned” on the main issues concerning the country.

Speaking in an interview with CNN, Netanyahu said it was too early to predict what would happen after Washington and Tehran signed a temporary agreement.

He said: “President Trump believes he can stop Iran’s nuclear programme,” but expressed doubt that this could be achieved.

“We agree on the big issues and sometimes disagree, but we are true allies,” Netanyahu added.

Hours after Trump said he was considering selling F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, Netanyahu voiced opposition to the potential move.

He warned that selling the most advanced US fighter aircraft “does not make Turkey a friend of the United States”.

As tensions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continued, Netanyahu described Ankara as “a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood that hates the United States”.

“This is not a force for peace and stability. If you give them this power, you will see aggression follow,” he said.

Trump, who is in Turkey to attend the NATO Summit, indicated he was prepared to lift the ban imposed during his first term on selling the aircraft to Ankara, describing Turkey as an “exceptional” US ally.

Netanyahu, who publicly criticised the Iran nuclear deal reached under former US President Barack Obama, has so far refrained from condemning the current ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.

According to the report, the agreement ended a war that Netanyahu had sought to continue and eased long-standing restrictions on Iran’s ability to sell oil in exchange for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The report added that the agreement could also lead to the easing of further sanctions worth hundreds of billions of dollars if the two sides reach a permanent truce.

It said the agreement did not address the main issues raised by the United States and Israel at the start of the war in late February, including Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic missile production, its support for proxy groups and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.