President Trump last week declined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion that the two governments should publicly encourage Iranians to protest their government, according to a report by Axios that cited two U.S. officials and an Israeli source.
According to a U.S. official briefed on the conversation, Trump told Netanyahu he opposed calling on people to take to the streets in circumstances where they could be killed. The official characterized the president’s response as rooted in concern for civilian safety.
The exchange revealed a gap between Washington and Jerusalem over the role of external encouragement in prompting regime change in Iran. Netanyahu has placed creating conditions for a popular uprising among Israel’s core objectives, while U.S. officials conveyed that the president regards regime change as a potential bonus rather than a central aim.
Netanyahu’s proposal followed Israeli strikes last Tuesday that killed Ali Larijani, identified in the report as Iran’s national security chief and de facto acting leader, and Gholamreza Soleimani, described as head of the Basij militia, along with several deputies. Israeli officials told reporters that the killing of Soleimani was intended to help enable a popular uprising because he was held responsible for suppressing protests.
During the call, Netanyahu argued that the Iranian leadership appeared destabilized and that the moment presented an opportunity to further weaken the regime, the U.S. official and the Israeli source told Axios. Trump countered that a public appeal for mass protests could lead to large-scale casualties, noting that thousands of Iranian protesters had been killed before the war, according to the account of the conversation.
The reporting is based on the accounts of the cited U.S. and Israeli sources and does not include independent confirmation of all characterizations provided to Axios.
Clear summary: Trump refused Netanyahu’s request for a joint call urging Iranians to protest, citing the risk of civilian deaths; the disagreement highlights different U.S. and Israeli priorities on regime change following Israeli strikes that killed senior Iranian figures.