US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Wednesday (local time) and said they had reached no “definitive” agreement on how to proceed with Iran, Reuters reported.
In their seventh meeting since Trump took office last January, Netanyahu hoped to press Trump ahead of the next round of US-Iran talks after talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in Oman on February 6.
While there was no agreement on how Washington would move forward, Trump insisted that negotiations with Tehran would continue to see if the two sides could reach an agreement.
Trump-Netanyahu meeting
Reuters reported that Netanyahu is expected to press Trump to expand diplomacy with Iran beyond the country’s nuclear program to include curbs on its missile arsenal. During his meeting, he emphasized Israel’s security interests and said they must be taken into account; however, he did not indicate that Trump agreed to the commitments he sought.
Read also | Netanyahu to meet Trump in Washington to discuss Iran’s nuclear program
The closed-door meeting lasted more than 2.5 hours, after which Trump called it “very good” but added that no major decisions had been made yet. He even stopped accepting the demands of his Israeli counterpart.
The report suggests that Tel Aviv is concerned that Washington may seek a narrow nuclear deal with Tehran, one that does not include curbs on Iran’s ballistic missile program or an end to Iranian support for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu’s office, Trump’s reaction 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 both agreed to continue close coordination and close contact.
Read also | New Iran deal a distant prospect as US talks drag on, airstrikes loom
After his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I just finished a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel and various representatives. It was a very good meeting, the wonderful relationship between our two countries continues. Nothing definitive was achieved other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see if a deal can be done or not, I’ll let you know it can’t be done, if it’s possible I’ll let you know. will see what the result will be.”
Trump says no to Iran’s missiles and nukes
In an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday (local time), Trump said a “good deal” with Iran would mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles,” without elaborating. He told Axios that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group as part of a major U.S. build-up near Tehran.
Read also | US-Iran talks: Diplomatic efforts to avert potential war Feb. 6 in Turkiye
Negotiations between the US and Iran
On Wednesday (local time), an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the country’s missile capabilities were its red line and not up for negotiation. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran eye a second round of negotiations aimed at averting the conflict.
Trump has also threatened to strike Iran if a deal is not reached, while Tehran has vowed to strike back. Trump has always expressed his support for a secure Israel.
In a post on social media after meeting with Netanyahu, Trump wrote about Iran: “Last time Iran decided they were better off not making a deal and got hit with the Midnight Hammer – it didn’t work out well for them. Hopefully they will be more reasonable and responsible this time. Also, we discussed the tremendous progress that has been made in Gaza and the region in general. There is indeed PEACE in the Middle East.”
While Iran has said it is ready to discuss curbing its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, it has ruled out the issue being related to missiles. “The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” said Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader.
But what the second round of talks will bring for Iran and the US remains to be seen.