US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke on the phone Saturday morning as the United States planned to resume strikes against Iran.
The Wall Street Journal reported the call, citing people familiar with the matter, as Trump told reporters in Palm Beach later in the day that the United States wanted to destroy up to two additional targets in Iran.
“We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do it in 10 minutes,” he said. “You could probably look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of it.”
Pickaxe Mountain was reported by Western intelligence as a site likely used to store nuclear materials and has not yet been struck by the United States during the war.
Trump also said negotiations with Iran are “going well” but that the Islamic Republic is “not very reliable.”
Iranian negotiators met in Doha on Saturday with Qatari mediators to discuss ways to exit the Gulf war, a source briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, as diplomats try to avoid further fighting after U.S. midterm elections this week.
Saturday’s talks in the Qatari capital followed more than 12 hours of discussions Friday between Iranian and Qatari envoys in Tehran, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The source said the talks were being coordinated in regular contact with Washington.
Countries in the region expected that Trump could renew his attacks once the vote was over. Iran has repeatedly said it will respond to any further attacks by striking US and Israeli targets in neighboring countries.
Washington has warned its Gulf allies to prepare for a possible new round of strikes against Iran as soon as November 4, a day after the US midterm elections, MSNOW reported Saturday, citing three senior Gulf Arab officials familiar with the discussions.
The strikes are expected to be brief but intense, according to the officials, who said Gulf states were pressuring Washington to de-escalate, fearing Iranian retaliation.
The United States has not struck Iran since September 1, while Trump has pledged to refrain from further attacks until after the midterms.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Saturday ordering the armed forces to be ready to respond to any attack. The Iranian military later announced it was taking steps to improve its readiness.
Meanwhile, Iran’s influential security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said Tehran was debating whether to lift its long-standing ban on nuclear weapons in the event of a resumption of hostilities, although he said such a decision had not been made.
Former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei banned the development of nuclear weapons in a fatwa, or religious decree, in the early 2000s, and Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire such weapons.
However, it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, blocked international inspectors from auditing its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Before the June 2025 war between the two countries, Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward militarization.
Rezaei said Saturday that there could be no negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program without Washington agreeing to Iran’s demands. He said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Iranian conditions were met.
Since September, Iran has proposed its own seven-day plan, so far rejected by Trump. It calls on Washington to lift the blockade of Iranian ports, unfreeze assets and approve an Iranian-backed route through the Strait of Hormuz, after which the disputed strait would be reopened.
Rezaei also said the U.S. tone had “completely changed” after Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iranian officials in recent days in an effort to restart talks.
“I have read the letter. I have not responded yet. Their tone has completely changed,” he said, adding that the change in tone is “a good sign” and shows that Iran is “consolidating its victory.”
Rezaei said he had not responded to the letter and would not comment further on its contents.
His comments come as indirect mediation through Qatar continues, even though Iranian officials said earlier in the day they had no plans to meet with U.S. officials.
Israel and the United States jointly launched war against Iran on February 28 with the aim of destabilizing its regime and destroying its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
In June, Iran concluded a memorandum of understanding with the United States paving the way for a permanent settlement of the conflict, but the agreement quickly collapsed when each side accused the other of violating it.
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