Iran Has Days to Deal. Israel Is Watching.

by | May 20, 2026 | News

gray warship on body of water

Israel is quietly preparing to rejoin American strikes on Iran, Channel 12 reported Tuesday, as President Trump gave Tehran a blunt deadline: make a deal or face the consequences.

Trump said Monday he had halted planned strikes after Gulf state leaders urged him to give diplomacy one more chance. But by Tuesday his patience was visibly fraying. “Two or three days — maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday — a limited period of time,” he said. “I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon.”

Iran’s latest proposal — lifting sanctions, withdrawing U.S. forces, and paying reparations — was almost identical to the offer Trump rejected last week as “garbage.” Pakistani mediators, who hosted the only round of talks, warned: “We don’t have much time.”

In Jerusalem, Netanyahu convened a five-hour security meeting with the IDF chief of staff, air force chief, and senior intelligence officials. He canceled his scheduled court testimony Wednesday with no opposition from prosecutors. President Herzog quietly withdrew from an upcoming New York event citing “the sensitive situation in the Middle East.”

The war, launched to destroy Iran’s nuclear program and missile capabilities, has so far achieved neither goal. Iran retains 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade — and shows no sign of surrendering it.

+ posts