President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded a three-hour meeting at the White House on Wednesday, with Trump saying “nothing definitive” was reached.
The meeting comes amid the United States building up its military presence in the Middle East as negotiations continue with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel has pushed for any potential agreement to fully address its security concerns, including strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program, constraints on its missile capabilities, and measures to curb Tehran’s support for its regional proxies.
“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 can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference.”
Trump called the meeting “very good” and said that the “tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues.”
If an agreement is not reached, Trump said, “we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” warning that Iran previously faced serious consequences after failing to make a deal last year when the United States bombed its nuclear facilities.
“That did not work well for them,” Trump said. “Hopefully, this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.”
The Prime Minister’s Office said the discussions also addressed the situation in Gaza and other 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,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
In recent weeks, Trump has ordered a substantial buildup of U.S. forces in the region, deploying numerous aircraft, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, and additional warships as part of what he described as a powerful “armada” ready to respond if the Iranian regime does not make a deal.
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that a second aircraft carrier strike group is being readied to join the deployment.
United States-Iran talks concluded on Friday, with additional rounds expected. Trump described the meeting as “very good.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that the discussions took place in “a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats.”
Araghchi also stressed that the “missile issue,” a key concern for Israel and the United States, is “in no way negotiable, neither now nor at any time in the future.” He added that if the United States were to launch an attack, the Iranian regime would retaliate by striking American bases in the region.
The meeting marked the seventh between Trump and Netanyahu during the president’s second term.
Their previous meeting in December came several days before Trump’s warnings of potential military action to deter the Iranian regime from harming protesters. Iran ignored the warning and carried out a brutal crackdown, with some estimates putting the death toll as high as 36,000. Afterward, Trump shifted his focus, noting that the regime had not executed all detained protesters and warning that Iran’s Islamic leadership would face severe “consequences if they don’t make a deal” on its nuclear issue.
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