On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump told Netanyahu he was delaying a massive planned strike on Iran to pursue diplomacy. The response inside the prime minister's office? According to one U.S. source briefed on the conversation, Netanyahu's "hair was on fire."

The question now is whether Trump will stick with diplomacy or give in to the war lobby demanding renewed military action. For voters who elected Trump on a promise to stop endless wars, the stakes could not be higher.

A dramatic divide over Iran strategy

The disagreement between Trump and Netanyahu represents a significant rift between the United States and Israel over how to handle the Iran conflict. Axios reported Wednesday that Trump informed Netanyahu about a new "letter of intent" being drafted by Qatar and Pakistan that would formally end the war and launch a 30-day negotiation period over Iran's nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to a U.S. official who spoke to CNN, Trump had initially told Netanyahu on Sunday that he was likely to move forward with new targeted attacks on Iran early this week, an operation expected to be named "Operation Sledgehammer." However, Gulf allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked Trump to give diplomacy more time.

Trump announced he was halting those strikes, saying "we're in the final stages of Iran. We'll see what happens."

Netanyahu wants war, Trump wants a deal

Behind the scenes, the tensions run deep. Axios reported that Netanyahu is "highly skeptical" about negotiations and may seek to prolong the war to further compromise Iran's military and weaken its regime by destroying key infrastructure. An Israeli source told CNN that Netanyahu pushed for a resumption of military action during the Tuesday call.

One Israeli official described the divergence clearly: Trump wants to see if a deal can be reached, but Netanyahu was expecting something else.

Trump has taken a different approach, telling reporters Wednesday that "the only question is do we go and finish it up or are they gonna be signing a document. Let's see what happens." He also claimed that Netanyahu "will do whatever I want him to do" on Iran.