US President Donald Trump has concluded his White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that “nothing definitive was reached” during the meeting.
But he added that talks between the United States and Iran will continue as he seeks concessions from Iran on a list of demands.
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Regarding Israel, President Trump said, “It was a very good meeting. The relationship between our two countries continues to be great.”
“Other than my insistence that negotiations continue with Iran on whether a deal could be reached, no final agreement was reached.”
Wednesday’s meeting will be the sixth time President Trump has welcomed Netanyahu to the United States since the beginning of his second term. The two have met seven times since January 2025, including once in Israel.
The visit comes days after U.S. and Iranian officials held indirect talks in Oman aimed at redirecting a military conflict that could spread across the region.
Arab leaders have largely advocated detente, but Netanyahu has repeatedly called for further military action against Iran.
private meeting
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit was closed to the public. After the visit, President Trump posted on his Truth Social account that it was a “great meeting.” He also wrote that he was hopeful that a deal could be reached with Iran.
“If it’s possible, I’ll tell the prime minister that that’s a priority,” Trump said. “If we can’t do that, we’ll have to see what the consequences are.”
President Trump previously sided with Israel in the 12-day war with Iran last June. The conflict culminated in the US attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities in a military operation known as “Midnight Hammer.”
In a post on Wednesday, the US president appeared to threaten further military action against Iran, noting that the June attack came after talks over Iran’s nuclear program failed to progress.
“Last time, Iran decided it was better not to sign a deal, but they were fired at with a midnight gun,” Trump wrote. “That didn’t work out well for them. I hope they act more rationally and responsibly this time.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, however, provided few details, saying only that the two men discussed Israel’s “security needs” and agreed on “continued cooperation and close relations.”
Among the topics discussed were “negotiations with Iran, Gaza, and regional development,” the statement said.
Iran says ballistic missiles are ‘non-negotiable’
President Trump expressed optimism following a meeting in Oman on Friday that included U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The rally came as the United States surged military assets in the region, raising the possibility of military entanglement.
Since January, President Trump has promised to attack Iran if Iranian security forces kill protesters at recent anti-government protests.
Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of a “regional war” if the US attacks.
Regional powers across the Middle East are seeking diplomatic solutions to avoid military conflict.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has not clarified the scope of its talks with Iran.
But officials have told U.S. media that the latest negotiations hinge on three key demands: an end to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, a reduction in its ballistic program and a reduction in support for regional proxies, a long-held goal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well.
The United States signed a deal in 2015 to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.
This multilateral agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), provided relief from sanctions on Iran. Britain, France, China, Russia, Germany and the European Union all participated.
However, Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 during his first term. Since then, he has unsuccessfully pursued a new deal while reimposing “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran.
Iranian officials have expressed openness to reaching a new agreement on their nuclear program, but insist it is for civilian purposes only. But they argue that ballistic missile capabilities should remain off-limits.
“The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei, said on Wednesday, state media reported.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was ready to prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, but “will not give in to excessive demands.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu brings ‘maximalist demands’
Barbara Slavin, a fellow at the US-based think tank Stimson Center, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Netanyahu brought “maximalist demands” to the White House meeting.
“He considers Iran to be a deadly threat to Israel. He wants to weaken Iran as much as possible. He wants regime change,” Slavin told Al Jazeera.
“But if we can’t do that, we want to make sure that Iran doesn’t have any nuclear program or missiles that could attack Israel.”
He added that the Israeli prime minister was “obviously worried, especially since Donald Trump made some pretty optimistic statements after the Oman meeting.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh also raised the possibility of early elections in Israel, which could give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even more incentive to press President Trump for tough measures.
“As far as Israeli policy is concerned, overthrowing the Iranian government would make him the king of all kings, and that’s something he can vote for and win,” Odeh said.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu now needs to convince President Trump that the deal will not deliver results and that Iran cannot be trusted.”
Still, Odeh explained that Prime Minister Netanyahu also needs to prepare for the possibility of successful negotiations between the United States and Iran.
“If an agreement is reached, he needs to ensure that this is at a level that Israel can tolerate,” Odeh explained. “He wants to permanently neutralize Iran, which is effectively a formula to ensure that Israel remains the regional hegemon.”
highlight gaza
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said he also discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu “the great progress we are seeing in Gaza and across the region.”
Since October 2023, Israel has been leading a genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, with an estimated 72,045 Palestinians killed and 171,686 injured.
But last year, the Trump administration proposed a 20-point Gaza “ceasefire” plan, which was adopted in October.
It subsequently announced in January that the plan was entering its “second phase,” although major questions remain, including the disarmament of Hamas.
Meanwhile, Israeli attacks continue. A Palestinian child was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the Baton as-Sameen area south of Khan Younis on Wednesday, Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli airstrikes and shelling also targeted areas under Israeli control in the eastern part of the city, the Al Jazeera team in Gaza reported.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 591 Palestinians have been killed and 1,578 injured since the first phase of the ceasefire agreement took effect in October.
Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu signed a document establishing Israel’s membership in President Trump’s controversial peace commission in a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The board was originally created to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, but President Trump has since called on it to take on a broader role in global conflict resolution. Some critics have accused the US president of trying to create an alternative to the United Nations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is a member of the multinational council, currently faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes in the Palestinian territories.
