Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that President Donald Trump sees a potential opening for a diplomatic agreement with Iran, even as the United States and Israel continue carrying out coordinated military operations against Iranian targets.

The conflict began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, with both governments launching coordinated attacks on military, nuclear, and government sites as part of an ongoing campaign against the regime in Tehran, according to ABC News and other reports.

“Earlier today I spoke with our friend President Trump,” Netanyahu said in a post on X, emphasizing the close military partnership.

He said, “President Trump believes there is an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the US military to realize the goals of the war through an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests.”

Israeli and U.S. forces have been operating in a joint effort to eliminate what they call the threat posed by Iran’s regime and its nuclear ambitions.

Trump on Monday signaled a possible shift toward diplomacy, announcing a temporary halt to additional strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure following what he described as progress in talks with Iranian representatives.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. and Iran had engaged “over the last two days” in discussions aimed at “a complete and total resolution of our hostility in the Middle East,” calling the conversations “very good” and “productive.”

“Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed and constructive conversations,” Trump said negotiations would continue “throughout the week,” and he had “instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period.”

Despite the diplomatic overture, Trump made clear the military campaign — carried out in coordination with Israel — remains a central source of leverage in negotiations.

The president also addressed Iran’s leadership, telling reporters Monday that he has not communicated with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as talks continue.

“We’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,” Trump said.

“We have not heard from the son,” Trump added, referring to Khamenei.

An Iranian security official disputed Trump’s characterization, saying Tehran is not engaged in direct talks with the U.S. president and portraying the pause in strikes as a retreat under pressure.

“Trump backed down from attacking critical infrastructure as Iran’s military threats became credible,” the senior official told Iran’s Fars News Agency in translated remarks.

The official added that “financial market pressure and the threat of bonds within the U.S. and the West have increased, and this has been another important factor in this retreat.”