US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Wednesday (local time) and said they have reached no “definitive” agreement on how to move ahead with Iran, reuters reported.
In their seventh meeting since Trump took office last year in January, Netanyahu was hoping to press Trump ahead of the next round of talks between the US and Iran, following negotiations held on Tehran’s nuclear program in Oman on 6 February.
While there has been no agreement on how Washington would move forward, Trump insisted that negotiations with Tehran will continue to see if the two sides can achieve a deal.
Trump-Netanyahu meeting
reuters reported that Netanyahu was expected to press Trump to widen diplomacy with Iran beyond the country’s nuclear program and to include limits on its missile arsenal. During his meeting, he stressed Israel’s security interests and said they must be taken into account; however, he did not indicate that Trump had agreed to the commitments he sought.
The closed-door meeting lasted more than 2.5 hours, after which Trump described it as “very good” but added that no major decisions had been made so far. He even stopped short of accepting his Israeli counterpart’s requests.
Report suggests that Tel Aviv fears that Washington might pursue a narrow nuclear deal with Tehran, one that does not include the restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile program or a stop to Iran’s support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu’s office, Trump’s response to the meeting
In a statement released after the meeting, Netanyahu’s office said, “The Prime Minister emphasized the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations, and the two agreed to continue their close coordination and tight contact.”
Following his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I have just finished meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, of Israel, and various of his Representatives. It was a very good meeting, the tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues. There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated. 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 result will be.”
Trump says no to Iranian missiles, nuclear weapons
In an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday (local time), Trump said that a “good deal” with Iran would mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles,” without elaborating. He told axios that he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of the major US buildup near Tehran.
US-Iran talks
On Wednesday (local time), an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that the country’s missile capabilities are its red line and are not subject to negotiation. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran eye a second round of negotiations to avert a conflict.
Trump has also threatened strikes on Iran if no agreement is reached, while Tehran has vowed to hit back. Trump has always voiced his support for a secure Israel.
In his social media post after meeting Netanyahu, Trump wrote of Iran, “Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — That did not work well for them. Hopefully, this time they will be more reasonable and responsible. Additionally, we discussed the tremendous progress being made in Gaza, and the Region in general. There is truly PEACE in the Middle East.”
While Iran has said that it is ready to discuss restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, it has ruled out linking the issue to missiles. “The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said.
However, it remains to be seen what the second round of negotiations holds for Iran and the US.
