Netanyahu Meets Trump as Iran Nuclear Talks Hit Critical Moment
Trump hosts Netanyahu as Iran nuclear talks intensify, with 3 key demands shaping Middle East tensions and raising fears of military escalation.
President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, as tensions rise in the Middle East and talks to halt Iran's nuclear weapons program intensify.
Netanyahu is expected to press Trump to reach a deal that would halt Iran's uranium enrichment and reduce its support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
"I will present my perspective to the president on the principles of these negotiations," Netanyahu told reporters before departing for the US.
Iran has stated that it will not limit uranium enrichment until Western countries ease sanctions that have severely strained its economy.
Netanyahu's Wednesday visit is his sixth to the US since Trump returned to office—more than any other world leader.
Netanyahu, a close ally of Trump, has long maintained that Iran poses an existential security threat to Israel and has pressed the US to curb Tehran's influence in the region.
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"The Prime Minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian Axis," Netanyahu's office said in a statement ahead of his visit.
The visit comes as the US is increasing its military presence in the Middle East, with Trump warning Tehran that he will take action if it fails to reach a nuclear deal.
On Tuesday, the president said he was "thinking about" sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was sent to the region last month after Trump threatened to attack Iran to stop the government's crackdown on mass protests that have killed thousands.
"We have an armada going there, and another one could be coming," Trump said in an interview with Axios. He added that Iran "wants a deal very badly," and said a diplomatic solution is still possible.
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Israeli officials have also stated that the country reserves the right to take military action against Iran if it does not reach a nuclear agreement with the US.
Experts said Netanyahu is under pressure from his right-wing allies in the Israeli government to use his relationship with Trump to push for a major US-Iran deal that meets the Israeli government's security concerns.
Georgetown University professor Dan Byman said, "Israel is concerned that in rushing to reach a deal with Iran, the president might strike a deal that doesn't involve supporting Iran's missile program or proxy groups, or that allows Iran to keep some of its remaining nuclear program."
Byman added, "One of the concerns Israel and other allies have about the US under Trump is that he wants a deal more than a specific outcome."
Analysts say the Iranian government is now in a weakened state after massive protests and 12 days of airstrikes by the US and Israel last year.
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Mohammad Hafez, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School and expert on Middle Eastern politics, said, "The Iranian government is truly vulnerable today." "The US and Israel feel they hold all the cards, Iran is backing down, and they can make these increasingly demanding demands."
During his first term, Trump withdrew the US from the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran. The administration resumed talks with Iran last year to reach a new deal.
Despite this escalating rhetoric in recent weeks, Trump may still want to avoid a direct military confrontation with Iran if the countries cannot reach a nuclear deal, former US officials said.
"I don't think Trump wants a major military conflict with Iran in an election year," said James Jeffrey, former US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey. "And I think the Iranians know that."
The visit also comes amid talks between Israel and Hamas on implementing the next phase of their ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
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A White House spokesperson said Israel "has never had a better friend in its history than President Trump."
Spokesperson Anna Kelly said, "We will continue to work closely with our ally Israel to implement President Trump's historic Gaza peace agreement and strengthen regional security in the Middle East."
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last October, ending a two-year war that began with a Hamas attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023. The attack killed approximately 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 71,000 people.
Since the first phase of the deal came into effect, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.
Both sides have made little progress in advancing the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which calls for Hamas's dismantling of weapons, the complete withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza, and the reconstruction of the coastal zone.
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