US President Donald Trump quashed Israeli proposals for a series of joint strikes next month on Iranian nuclear facilities, opting instead to try for a diplomatic solution to the problem of Tehran’s nuclear program, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Trump’s dismissal earlier this month of Jerusalem’s plans, which Israeli officials had discussed with their US counterparts and were ready to carry out in May if they could secure US support and participation, resulted from internal divisions in the Trump administration, the report said, citing administration officials and others.

Sources briefed on the proposed attack said it aimed to set back Iran’s ability to break out to a bomb by at least a year, but months of debate among Trump’s aides on the issue resulted in a general consensus against military action, as Tehran showed signs of being open to talks, the newspaper reported.

Trump declined to discuss plans regarding Iran when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned him on April 3 and instead invited him to the White House. Four days later, with Netanyahu at his side in the Oval Office, he announced that he had initiated direct talks with Iran. Those talks began on April 12.

Citing multiple officials with knowledge of Israel’s plans, the report outlined intended Israeli offensives in which the US would play an essential role by both helping to execute the attack successfully and protecting Israel against a retaliatory strike.

Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, and Mike Waltz, US national security adviser, had shown openness to the Israeli plans and discussed how the US could help, according to the report. Israeli officials “were prepared” to carry out the plans, “and at times were optimistic that the United States would sign off.”

Initial plans for the strike would have combined a joint Israeli-American bombing campaign with Israeli commando raids on underground nuclear sites, and included US airstrikes to protect the teams on the ground.

But such an operation would have required months of planning. Israeli and American officials, particularly Netanyahu, wanted to expedite the process. So the commando idea was shelved, and “Israeli and American officials began discussing a plan for an extensive bombing campaign.”

The campaign would have started in early May and lasted more than a week, beginning with eliminating what remained of Iran’s air defense systems after Israel destroyed parts of the array during strikes in the country last year. This would pave the way for Israeli fighters to directly strike nuclear sites. Such an attack would have likely prompted Iran to launch a retaliatory missile barrage at Israel, requiring US assistance to fend it off.

However, Trump “did not want to discuss Iran plans on the phone” when the premier called him on April 3, and instead extended an invitation for Netanyahu to visit the White House, according to Israeli officials cited in the report.

Netanyahu arrived in Washington four days later, in a visit publicly framed as an opportunity to address Trump’s tariffs, though Israeli officials were primarily focused on discussing the planned Iran strikes.

Netanyahu then found himself unexpectedly and visibly out of sync with the US president on the Iran issue when Trump announced, with the Israeli premier sitting beside him in the Oval Office, that the US was initiating nuclear talks with Tehran.

“In private discussions, Mr. Trump made clear to Mr. Netanyahu that he would not provide American support for an Israeli attack in May while the negotiations were playing out,” the Times reported, citing officials briefed on the discussions.

Two days after Netanyahu’s visit, Trump declared that Israel would take a leading role in a potential military strike on Iran if the US-Iran talks failed.