06-10-2025 Julie Stahl

JERUSALEM, Israel – President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again spoke about Iran as the deadline for a nuclear deal approaches. Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is suggesting to Israel’s ultra-religious parties that they consider the consequences of bringing down the Netanyahu government.

The president said he had a long phone call with Netanyahu as the ongoing talks appear to be floundering.

“We discussed a lot of things, and it went very well. Very smooth. We’ll see what happens,” Trump declared.

The White House set a two-month deadline for Iran to sign a deal preventing it from developing nuclear weapons, and time will elapse this week.

Of the Iranian regime, Trump observed, “They are good negotiators, but they’re tough. Sometimes they can be too tough. That’s the problem. So, we’re trying to make a deal so that there’s no destruction and death. And we’ve told them that, and I’ve told them that, and I hope that’s the way it works out. But it might not work out that way.”
Tehran has always claimed its nuclear program is only for providing Iran with civilian nuclear power. At the same time, Iranian leaders repeatedly call for the destruction of Israel.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed that even 20 years ago, Iran carried out implosion tests that are needed only for developing atomic bombs and have no civilian use.

Iran threatens retaliation if the I.A.E.A. censures its nuclear program or if Israel launches military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei cautioned, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has prepared a series of steps and measures. The other side is more or less aware of our capabilities and capacities in this regard.”
The Tehran regime has also warned that the one thing that would prompt them to create atomic bombs is an Israeli strike on their nuclear facilities.

Meanwhile, despite U.S. and Israeli threats to destroy the nuclear sites, Russia has just signed a deal to construct eight new nuclear plants in Iran, and Iran has reportedly ordered enough chemical materials from China to produce 800 ballistic missiles.

Will Israel’s Ultra-Religious Parties Bring Down Netanyahu?

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told CBN News Tuesday that despite rumors, there is no breakup between the U.S. and Israel, and the situation is clear. Trump means what he says.

“I don’t know that we take Iran at its word. They normally don’t keep theirs very well in the 46 years that they’ve ruled that country. But I would take President Trump very seriously when he says they will not have a nuclear weapon,” Huckabee said.

Israel is also facing trouble from within. Ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu’s ruling coalition are threatening to bring down the government over legislation that would force many ultra-Orthodox to serve in the military along with the rest of young Israeli men.

For decades, the Haredim, as they are known in Israel, have enjoyed exemptions allowing them to avoid military conscription.

Ironically, the fall of the Netanyahu government could lead to a much more liberal Israeli leadership that would crack down even harder on the Haredim.

Huckabee was pulled into the controversy when the Ultra-Orthodox leaders asked to meet with him, for which he was then criticized by opposition leaders. The ambassador told them they should work out a plan for who will be scholars and soldiers, and that the issue wasn’t one that required U.S. intervention.

Yet, he also suggested that a collapsed government would not look good from a U.S. perspective.

The ambassador noted, “It would create an extraordinary sense of anxiety, because it would be viewed as instability.”