Trump, Israel's Netanyahu discuss countering Iran

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump discussed efforts to check Iran's "malign action in the region," the White House said Thursday.

The leaders discussed the issue, as well as bilateral cooperation "in advancing shared national security interests," during a telephone call, spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been at a fever pitch since May when mysterious attacks the U.S. blames on Iran struck six oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway critical to the global energy trade.

A week after two of the ships were attacked on June 13, Iranian forces downed an American drone Tehran says violated its airspace, prompting a fierce response from Trump who says he called off retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets that would have killed dozens.

The U.S. instead sanctioned a host of senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Ali Khamenei.