When a broadcaster asked Trump on Friday whether he placed his trust in Netanyahu, the president stated that his distrust extended to the political world broadly, telling the outlet he trusted nobody in that arena. The remarks came as questions persisted about what part Washington might play in Israel's 27 October vote.

Asked separately whether he intended to campaign on Netanyahu's behalf — a leader who has repeatedly pointed to his ties with Trump during election periods — the president indicated that such support was being sought from him. Trump's response — "Yeah, they'd like me to be" — came when asked about pressure from Israeli officials to participate in Netanyahu's re-election effort.

Characterising his ties to the Israeli prime minister as positive, Trump went on to commend what he called a cooperative defence arrangement the two countries had built in relation to Iran. On multiple occasions, Trump has stopped short of stating he would back Netanyahu in the upcoming Israeli election, a vote taking place against a backdrop of mounting pressure over Iran's nuclear ambitions and the prospect of fresh military action.

According to people with knowledge of the discussions — including officials on both sides and others who had been briefed — a television network reported that Netanyahu and Trump held talks that touched on the prospect of a joint military strike against Iran, stemming from Israeli assessments that Tehran had restarted activity tied to its nuclear programme.

According to the report, Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone on multiple occasions across a fortnight, with the discussions centred on a possible return to large-scale military action against Iran. Among the topics reportedly on the table were potential attacks against Iranian military installations and nuclear sites.

Officials at the White House took issue with the version of events being reported, stating that no conversation between Trump and Netanyahu about resuming hostilities had taken place. According to a person briefed on the matter, Trump had conveyed to advisers that any military action against Iran would not take place ahead of the midterm elections.

Ongoing contact between Netanyahu and both Trump and senior American officials was confirmed by the prime minister's office, which offered no details on what those exchanges involved.

With elections looming in both countries — Israel's vote set for 27 October and the US midterms drawing near — any new military action against Iran would arrive at a delicate moment for both administrations. Questions about how a possible Iranian counterstrike might affect the timing and conduct of Israel's upcoming vote have drawn attention from observers tracking the situation.