'You won't get a better opportunity than this'—48 hours before Khamenei's death, Netanyahu outlined the plan to Trump over the phone.

Less than 48 hours before the commencement of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Donald Trump over the phone. During this conversation, he apprised Trump of the reasons for initiating this war.

Sources familiar with the phone conversation between the two leaders revealed that, earlier that same week, intelligence briefings had alerted both Trump and Netanyahu that Iran's then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his key aides were soon to hold a meeting at their compound in Tehran.

Netanyahu's Argument

Subsequently, they received new intelligence indicating that the timing of Khamenei's meeting had been rescheduled from Saturday night to Saturday morning. Netanyahu was eager to push forward with this operation. He argued that there might never be a better opportunity to eliminate Khamenei and to exact retribution for Iran's past attempts to assassinate Trump.

These attempts included an alleged plot orchestrated by Iran in 2024, when Trump was a presidential candidate. Sources indicated that by the time Netanyahu placed the call, Trump had already approved the concept of US military action against Iran, though he had not yet determined precisely when—or under what circumstances—the United States would intervene.

The Impact of Netanyahu's Arguments on Trump

It remains unclear exactly what impact Netanyahu's arguments had on Trump; however, sources believe that the risk of letting slip the opportunity to eliminate Iran's Supreme Leader became the primary factor driving Trump's decision. Netanyahu argued that Trump could make history by helping to dismantle an Iranian leadership that Western nations—as well as many Iranian citizens—have long detested.

He suggested that it was plausible the Iranian people would take to the streets and overthrow the clerical regime. Trump Sought to Avoid War with Iran

Trump conducted his 2024 election campaign based on the "America First" foreign policy of his first term, publicly stating that he wished to avoid a war with Iran and would prefer to deal with Tehran through diplomatic means.

However, White House sources revealed that when negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program failed to reach an agreement last spring, Trump began to consider launching an attack. Subsequently, in June, the United States, in coordination with Israel, carried out bombing raids on Iranian nuclear sites.

Trump Sought Diplomatic Talks

During a visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in December, Netanyahu told Trump that he was not entirely satisfied with the results of the joint operation conducted in June. Trump then signaled that he was prepared for another bombing campaign, but also wished to attempt another round of diplomatic negotiations.

Following the outbreak of anti-regime protests in Iran earlier this year, confidential discussions regarding coordination between the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. military's Central Command (CENTCOM) gained momentum. During his visit to Washington in February, Netanyahu also briefed Trump on Iran's expanding ballistic missile program and apprised him of the threat posed by missiles capable of striking as far as the United States.