Trump and Netanyahu explored all paths to curb Iran’s nuclear project including diplomacy, economic pressure and force, with Netanyahu not telling Trump that Israel’s preference was for an attack on Iran, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday
.
Iran was the main focus of the 90-minute conversation, with the Israeli official saying they discussed three options Trump is considering, with the first being reaching a deal with Iran
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The official said Trump has three options and all three were discussed at length: “A deal, continuing the blockade and economic pressures, and a massive strike.”
The second option involved the blockade.
Continuing the naval blockade on Iran while increasing economic pressure
was discussed in detail.
Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are still negotiating with the Iranians, though at the moment the gaps still seem wide, and Netanyahu told Trump he is skeptical an agreement with the Iranians can be struck
.
The third path was military action.
The third option is to launch a major new offensive against the Islamic Republic, the senior Israeli official explained during a briefing with Israeli reporters in Washington
.
“We discussed all of those options at length and very candidly. Not as an attempt to promote one option over another, but to examine what the best outcome would be from each,” the Israeli official said
.
Trump expressed economic concerns about the war.
The Israeli official said Trump expressed concern about the war’s impact on energy markets and the global economy
.
Netanyahu addressed those worries directly.
Netanyahu didn’t disregard Trump’s concerns but told him there are ways to continue increasing pressure on Iran’s economy, which is already under severe strain, the Israeli official said
.
“We discussed increasing the economic pressure through both kinetic and non-kinetic means. We talked about the possibility of continuing the blockade in order to pressure Iran,” the Israeli official said
.
Netanyahu also added unspecified new ideas to the mix, the official added
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Netanyahu told Trump the Iranian regime is mainly trying to use the only leverage it has left — the Strait of Hormuz — to force U.S. concessions
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The Israeli official acknowledged that Trump is the “senior partner” while Netanyahu is the “junior partner” in the allies’ conflict with Iran
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Netanyahu’s communication director, Tzipi Hotovely, told reporters “There is no truth in the claim that Israel is pushing the US in a certain direction on the Iran issue.”
Netanyahu spoke publicly after the meeting.
Netanyahu called the meeting “one of the best conversations” he has ever had with an American president, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt likewise described the meeting as “positive and productive.”
“When I say excellent, I don’t mean it in a superficial way,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew. “A conversation with full partnership, with mutual support, with an understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and other goals as well.”
He said that Trump’s “entire senior team” was present at the meeting, as well as “our senior team,” and that it was “an opportunity to exchange ideas and to coordinate arrangements that are important for the security and future of the State of Israel.”
The meeting came at a tense moment.
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in the Oval Office Tuesday for a “productive” 90-minute session on the Iran war — free of any public sign of tensions that have marked their relationship over the past several weeks
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The meeting could have gone the other way, given Trump’s frustration with the Israeli leader over the war, which he even alluded to publicly shortly before Netanyahu arrived at the White House. The fact that both sides described it as positive is a win for Bibi.
Tuesday’s meeting was the first between Netanyahu and Trump since the start of the war on Feb. 28
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The meeting eventually began with little fanfare, with Netanyahu entering the White House via a side entrance to the West Wing. His office later released photos showing Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in attendance at the Oval Office
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The event remained closed to the press, with no questions taken
.
In the viral moment that set up this meeting, the two leaders had launched a joint military campaign against Iran in late February, with the U.S. conducting strikes on nuclear facilities and other targets.
It came as Trump is still trying to reach a deal with Iran but also considering a return to major combat operations. Several hours after the sitdown, Iran launched a missile attack on an American base in Jordan for the first time since Trump paused U.S. strikes in Iran on Friday
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On Wednesday, the United States and Saudi Arabia struck Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq, and Trump vowed to “beat the fucking shit” out of Iran for firing on U.S. troops days after he halted air strikes
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Other issues beyond Iran were also discussed.
Aside from Iran, Hotovely said Trump and Netanyahu discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel, which Trump called for as part of a Saudi nuclear deal
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The U.S. sale of F-35s to Turkey, which Israel opposes, was not raised at the meeting. And Trump did not demand that Israel withdraw troops from areas they are occupying, Hotovely said
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Trump spoke to the media about next steps on Iran.
“We’re having direct talks with Iran,” Trump said in the Oval Office while hosting Netanyahu. “The president added that the US is “dealing with them directly, and maybe a deal’s going to be made — that would be great. It would be really great for Iran, I can tell you that.”
Trump said the U.S. would hold direct talks starting Saturday with Iran over its nuclear weapons programs. Trump did not name the U.S. officials participating or say where the meeting would take place, but he said it was a “high-level” delegation
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