“If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” said Trump, adding a reminder of last year’s US strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.
Seeking to push for the Islamic republic’s ballistic missile program to be included in any deal, Netanyahu had rushed to Washington for his seventh meeting with Trump since the US leader returned to power.Netanyahu’s office said that during the talks with Trump, the Israeli premier had “insisted on the security needs of the state of Israel in relation to the negotiations” on Iran.
Trump has hinted at US military action against Iran following Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protesters, but at the same time, Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.
Talks had been suspended after the US strikes on Iran’s atomic sites during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in July 2025.
What does Netanyahu want?
The White House meeting was held behind closed doors, with Netanyahu slipping in via a side entrance without receiving the traditional honour guard. Trump and Netanyahu were seen shaking hands in a photograph released by the Israeli premier’s office.
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington that his talks would “first and foremost” be about the Iran negotiations, while adding they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.”I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations,” he said in a video statement. Netanyahu’s office said he would highlight Iran’s missile arsenal.
Israel’s concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
What does Trump think?
While boosting hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump has also been dialing up the threat of possible US military action against Iran.
He warned in an interview with Axios news outlet on February 10 that he was “thinking” of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
“Either we will make a deal, or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump said. “We have an armada that is heading there, and another one might be going.”
What does Iran say?
So far, Iran has rejected expanding its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran would “not yield to excessive demands” on its nuclear program.
But he insisted his country was not “not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.”
