UNITED STATES PERSPECTIVE

Washington learned about the sequence from Axios on Monday night: 'You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.' Two U.S. officials and a third source briefed on the call are cited. The leak is not accidental — it comes from inside the executive branch and lands hours after Iran's own threat to suspend talks, conveyed via the Tasnim news agency. Time, NBC, CBS and the New York Times pick up the story overnight, embedding it in a longer arc: since the U.S.-Iran war began in February 2026, U.S. agencies have absorbed strikes on 20 American military sites (per a BBC Verify analysis), a chronically violated April ceasefire, and a president who keeps insisting on Truth Social that talks are advancing 'at a rapid pace.' One key word slips into a leaked transcript: a U.S. official tells Axios that Trump 'steamrolled' Netanyahu — that is, imposed the decision without negotiation. NPR underlines the new American red line: Israel can hit southern Lebanon, but not Beirut's southern suburb. CBS News stresses the second front Washington fears: Tehran has reportedly given the Houthis the green light to strike Bab el-Mandeb, opening a new maritime theatre while Iran ratchets up pressure on Hormuz. At no point does the U.S. press seriously question the authenticity of the Axios leak — it is treated as the new unofficial diplomatic line, more reliable than any communiqué.