US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a tough phone call on Tuesday over efforts to revive diplomacy with Iran, with US media reports indicating differences of opinion over whether to pursue talks or return to military action.According to Axios, Trump and Netanyahu discussed a revised peace proposal drafted by Qatar and Pakistan, with the support of other regional mediators, aimed at bridging the gap between Washington and Tehran.A source cited by Axios described Netanyahu’s reaction after the call, saying that his “hair was on fire”.Trump has continued to publicly express hope that a deal can still be reached with Iran, while warning that military strikes remain an option if talks fail.“Either we’re going to make a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little worse,” Trump said Wednesday.Later, he said that talks were “on the borderline” between an agreement and renewed conflict.Also read: Donald Trump warns Iran of ‘bad’ US action as talks reach ‘final stage’

Netanyahu emphasizes tough military approach

Reportedly, Netanyahu is deeply skeptical about talks and wants Israel and the US to resume military operations against Iran in order to further weaken Tehran’s military and strategic infrastructure.According to CNN, Netanyahu told Trump during the hour-long call that delaying planned strikes against Iran was a mistake and argued for continued military action. The Israeli leadership is increasingly frustrated with Iran’s diplomatic “foot-dragging,” the report said.Trump had previously informed Netanyahu that the US was likely to proceed with targeted strikes on Iran under a proposed operation dubbed “Operation Sledgehammer”. However, within a day, Trump halted the strikes following requests from Gulf allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.Trump informed Netanyahu during Tuesday’s call that mediators were working on a “letter of intent” that the U.S. and Iran could sign to formally end the war and begin a 30-day negotiation process to end Iran’s nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

New mediation efforts underway

According to Axios, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt have been actively refining a new draft resolution in recent days. Qatar reportedly sent a delegation to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials earlier this week.Iran confirmed it was reviewing the updated proposal. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said Tehran had “received the US side’s views” and was examining them.Also read: US envoy Sergio Gore hints at ‘big things’ in India-US nuclear energy partnershipIran continues to demand the release of frozen assets and an end to US “piracy” against Iranian shipping.Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian emphasized diplomacy in a statement, saying, “Iran has consistently honored its commitments and explored every avenue to avoid war; all avenues are open from our side.”

Trump warned that the window for diplomacy may be closed

Despite ongoing talks, Trump has repeatedly warned that the window for diplomacy may soon close.“It’s absolutely borderline, believe me,” Trump said. “If we don’t get the right answers, it happens very quickly. We are all ready to go.”Trump also said Netanyahu would ultimately follow Washington’s lead on Iran. “Netanyahu will do what I want him to do,” he said.Meanwhile, Israel’s military leadership has maintained a high level of readiness. Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said the army was “ready for any development”.The diplomatic efforts come after an April 8 ceasefire halting open fighting between Iran, the US and Israel, although tensions are still high and the Strait of Hormuz is facing major disruptions affecting global energy markets.