President Donald Trump held talks with Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday to discuss renewed US nuclear talks with Iran, and said he told the Israeli prime minister that negotiations with Tehran would continue to see if a deal can be reached.
Netanyahu, who had been expected to press Trump to widen diplomacy with Iran beyond its nuclear programme to include limits on Tehran’s missile arsenal, stressed ‘the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations’, his office said in a statement.
In their seventh meeting since Trump returned to office last year, Netanyahu – whose visit was more muted than usual and closed to the Press – was looking to influence the next round of US discussions with Iran following nuclear negotiations held in Oman last Friday.
The two leaders spoke behind closed doors for nearly three hours in what Trump described as a ‘very good meeting’ but said no major decisions were made.
Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if no agreement is reached, while Tehran has vowed to retaliate, stoking fears of a wider war. He has repeatedly voiced support for a secure Israel, a long-standing US ally and arch-foe of Iran.
In media interviews on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his warning, saying that while he believes Iran wants a deal, he would do ‘something very tough’ if it refused.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated,” Trump said in a social media post after the meeting with Netanyahu.
“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,” Trump added, noting that the last time Iran decided against an agreement the US struck its nuclear sites last June.
Trump told Fox Business in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that a good deal with Iran would mean ‘no nuclear weapons, no missiles’, without elaborating.
He also told Axios he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of a major US buildup near Iran.
Israel fears that the US might pursue a narrow nuclear deal that does not include restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile programme or an end to Iranian support for armed proxies such as Hamas and Hizbollah, according to people familiar with the matter.
Israeli officials have urged the US not to trust Iran’s promises.
The two leaders had also been expected to talk about potential military action if diplomacy with Iran fails, one source said.
“The two agreed to continue their close co-ordination and tight contact,” Netanyahu’s office said.
Iran has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions but 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 yesterday.
Netanyahu’s arrival at the White House was lower-key than usual. He entered the building away from the view of reporters and cameras.
Also on the agenda was Gaza, with Trump looking to push ahead with a ceasefire agreement he helped to broker.
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