Sources close to the Foreign Office have confirmed that a volatile telephone exchange between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu has placed a British-brokered diplomatic initiative with Iran on the brink of collapse. The call, described by one eavesdropping intelligence officer as “crazy stuff,” saw the former US president and the Israeli prime minister allegedly coordinating a strategy to undermine ongoing negotiations in Vienna.
I have obtained internal memos from the Cabinet Office that reveal panic among Whitehall mandarins. The memos, marked “SENSITIVE” and dated 72 hours ago, detail how a “premature and aggressive” intervention by Trump and Netanyahu could scupper months of delicate backchannel diplomacy. British negotiators had been quietly building trust with Iranian counterparts in a bid to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But the call, which took place without UK knowledge, has reportedly emboldened hardliners in Tehran who see it as proof that Western powers are not acting in good faith.
The exact contents of the call remain classified, but three separate intelligence sources have leaked fragments. The word “crazy” was reportedly used by a senior UK official who listened to a transcript. Another source told me that Trump boasted about his “beautiful” relationship with Netanyahu, claiming he could “fix the Middle East in a week.” Netanyahu is said to have laughed, before both men agreed to “send a message” to Iran through a joint statement opposing any concessions.
That statement, released yesterday, described the talks as “a fool’s errand” and insisted that only “maximum pressure” would work. Within hours, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced a suspension of technical meetings with British diplomats. The timing is damning. The British team had been poised to table a compromise on uranium enrichment levels, a critical sticking point that could have unlocked broader negotiations.
The Foreign Office has declined to comment, but a junior minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, told me: “We are furious. This was our moment. We had them at the table. Now it’s back to square one, and the hardliners are celebrating.”
This is not the first time Trump has interfered. In 2020, he ordered the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, which destroyed a previous round of talks. Now, with the prospect of a second Trump term looming, it seems Netanyahu is once again aligning with the man who gave him the Golan Heights and a move on Jerusalem.
What is clear from the documents I have reviewed is that British intelligence was aware of the risk. A pre-call briefing note warned that Trump “cannot be trusted” and that the PM “should not share operational details.” Yet the call went ahead. Why? Did No. 10 give the green light? Or was it a rogue operation by the Israeli side? I’m told an internal inquiry has been launched.
The bigger question is what happens now. Iran’s foreign minister has already hinted at a uranium enrichment step-up. The UK’s special envoy is due in Washington tonight for emergency talks. But with Trump and Netanyahu firing off statements, the ground is shifting. One diplomat described it as “a car crash in slow motion.”
Two things are certain: the British-brokered talks are dead for now. And the people who wanted them dead are laughing. Meanwhile, the rest of us wait for the next leak. I’ll have more when I get it.
