One phone call changed everything: Trump–Netanyahu conversation triggered Iran strike plan
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (photo: Getty Images)
The decision to begin operation against Iran was made by United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on February 23, Axios reports.
Sources of publication said that during the call, Netanyahu informed Trump about a meeting of Iran's supreme leader and his main advisers in Tehran, which was supposed to take place on the morning of February 28.
This meant an opportunity for the United States and Israel to eliminate Iranian leadership with a single strike. Later information provided by Netanyahu was confirmed by the Central Intelligence Agency.
The strike had been planned earlier
The publication writes that the United States and Israel had considered the possibility of carrying out a strike a week earlier, but decided to postpone it for intelligence and operational reasons, including unfavorable weather conditions.
According to United States officials, Trump made a "deliberate decision" not to focus on Iran in his annual address to Congress. This step was taken in order not to alarm ayatollah and not to push him underground before the strike could be carried out.
In addition, envoys of United States President Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff called from Geneva after several hours of negotiations with Iranians and reported that diplomacy with Tehran had failed.
Thus, Axios concludes, Trump was convinced of the reliability of intelligence information and the failure of diplomatic efforts, and therefore on Friday at 3:38 p.m. Eastern Time gave final order for the attack.
The United States and Israel's operation against Iran
The joint operation by the United States and Israel against Iran began on the morning of February 28. The American and Israeli military carried out a series of strikes on Iranian territory.
On Sunday, March 1, Donald Trump officially outlined the timeframe of the military campaign against Iran, saying that the active phase of hostilities would last no more than four weeks.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was eliminated during the first 24 hours of the joint United States–Israel operation Epic Fury, launched in February 2026.
According to Financial Times, elimination of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei was the result of a multi-year intelligence operation by Israeli special services, a key element of which was full control over Tehran's road camera network.
