When US President Donald Trump took office last January, he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were in complete agreement on how to handle the most pressing issues in their relationship: the war in Gaza and confronting the Iranian threat.

Trump lifted the Biden administration's ban on sending large bombs to Israel. He encouraged Israeli military operations to "eliminate Hamas" in Gaza. He agreed with Netanyahu to confront Iran and its proxies in the region.

But in recent weeks, the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has become strained as the two leaders have increasingly disagreed over the strategy for confronting these challenges, according to what US officials and Middle Eastern diplomats confirmed to NBC News on Sunday.

The network quoted officials as saying that Trump's approach to Iran is a major point of contention with Netanyahu, as Israel does not want the US president to conclude a nuclear agreement that would grant Iran any uranium enrichment capabilities.

The network explained that Netanyahu was frustrated by Trump's refusal to support military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, as Trump believed there might be an opportunity to eliminate the threat of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon by striking a deal.

Officials noted that one of Netanyahu's advisers told Washington's Middle East envoy that Netanyahu was angry about Trump's remarks on Iran, made on Wednesday, in which he said he had not yet decided whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium under the new nuclear agreement his administration is negotiating.

"Israel is concerned about any agreement on this matter," a US official said.

Officials also confirmed that Trump was frustrated by Netanyahu's decision to launch a new military offensive in Gaza, and the US president said in statements that launching a new attack on Gaza would make reconstruction more difficult.

NBC News revealed that the United States is currently pressuring Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to the sources, "Netanyahu was shocked last week by Trump's announcement that he would halt his military campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen after they agreed to a ceasefire on American ships in the Red Sea."

This came after the Houthis attacked Israel with a missile that hit a site near Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's main airport.

Sources said that Netanyahu, shocked by Trump's position, said, "Israel will defend itself alone."