From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Report: Netanyahu raised concerns with White House over possible US-Iran contacts
Stav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contacted the White House earlier this week after Israeli intelligence raised suspicions that senior officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration might be holding contacts with Iranian officials regarding a possible ceasefire, Channel 12 news reports.
According to the network, the intelligence was not definitive but suggested that some figures in the Trump administration could be engaging with representatives of the Iranian regime about conditions for ending the war.
The report says Netanyahu called senior White House officials on Monday to ask whether such contacts were taking place, either directly or indirectly. An official denied the claim and told Netanyahu that the Trump administration was not speaking with Tehran “behind his back,” according to a source familiar with the matter cited by Channel 12.
Another source tells the outlet that Iran passed messages to the Trump administration through several Gulf states and European countries, but that Washington did not respond to the messages.
Both the Prime Minister’s Office and the White House have declined to comment on the report, Channel 12 says.
A senior US official told reporters earlier today that Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has not spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi or any Iranian representative “since this thing went kinetic.”
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.