Trump says Iran talks to continue after meeting Israel’s Netanyahu
President Donald Trump said he insisted that talks with Iran continue, but acknowledged that “nothing definitive” was reached during his meeting with the Israeli leader.
WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump on Wednesday in an effort to steer US negotiations over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said he made clear his preference for diplomacy with Iran during their more than two-hour, “very good” meeting.
“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. “If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”
The hastily organized visit is Netanyahu’s seventh to the United States since Trump’s reelection. It comes less than a week after officials from Tehran and Washington held talks in Oman over a potential deal to avert Trump’s threatened strikes. Little progress has been made, with Iran insisting the talks be confined to its nuclear program.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he and Trump “discussed the negotiations with Iran, Gaza and regional developments.”
“The prime minister emphasized the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations, and the two leaders agreed on continued coordination and the close contact between them,” the statement said.
Ahead of the Oval Office meeting, Netanyahu and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Wednesday morning at Blair House, the president’s official guest residence across from the White House. The main US negotiators in the Iran talks — special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner — convened with Netanyahu at Blair House on Tuesday evening.
Israel worries that the Trump administration may strike a limited deal focused only on Iran’s nuclear program, ignoring its ballistic missile arsenal and support for regional proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
“I will present to the president our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations — the essential principles which, in my opinion, are important not only to Israel, but to everyone around the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said on the tarmac in Tel Aviv before departing.
Hours before Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with Trump, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that a series of tests of its David’s Sling air defense system had been carried out in coordination with the US Missile Defense Agency. Developed jointly by Israel and the United States, David’s Sling was used to intercept Iranian missiles during the 12-day war in June.
The United States joined Israel’s bombing campaign with strikes that heavily damaged three Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran has since barred international inspectors from accessing its stockpile of heavily enriched uranium or visiting the bombed sites.
“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,” Trump said in his Truth Social post Wednesday. “Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.”
The United States has amassed military forces in the region to bolster Trump’s options should he carry out previous threats to strike Iran over its nuclear program and killing of anti-government protesters last month. His Gulf allies have warned against strikes, concerned that Iranian retaliation over an American attack could draw in their countries and set off a wider war.
Qatar said Wednesday that Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani discussed “regional de-escalation” in a phone call with Trump. The same day, the emir met with Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following Larijani’s trip to Oman.
Another round of US-Iran talks is expected this month. Speaking to reporters in Azerbaijan Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance warned there is "another option on the table" if Iran and the United States fail to reach a deal.
Asked about regime change, Vance said, “If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime, that's up to the Iranian people. What we're focused on right now is the fact that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon.”
After first threatening force over the protest crackdown, the Trump administration has more recently tied military action to Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program. Many Iranians, however, view Washington’s diplomatic engagement with Iran as legitimizing an oppressive regime.
On Wednesday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Iranian rights advocate, had been seriously beaten while in Iranian prison.
Netanyahu and Trump also discussed the Gaza Strip, where a newly minted Trump-led Board of Peace and technocratic Palestinian committee are tackling the thorny issues of disarming Hamas and ensuring Israel's eventual withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave. During his meeting with Rubio, Netanyahu formally signed onto the board, which is expected to convene on Feb. 19 in Washington.
This developing story has been updated since initial publication.
Rina Bassist contributed reporting.
