Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will press US President Donald Trump to take a tougher line on Iran’s missile program during a hastily arranged White House meeting.
WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push US President Donald Trump to take a tougher stance on Iran’s ballistic missile program during a hastily arranged White House meeting today.
The talks, set for 11:00 am local time, will be the leaders’ sixth meeting on US soil since Trump returned to office in January 2025. Netanyahu reportedly brought forward his visit from a scheduled February 19 meeting as US-Iran nuclear talks proceeded.
Trump said on the eve of the meeting he was weighing sending a second US “armada” to the Middle East to pressure Tehran. “Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told Axios.
He separately told Fox Business any nuclear deal must involve “no nuclear weapons, no missiles.” Netanyahu said his talks would “first and foremost” be about the Iran negotiations.
“I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations,” he said in a video statement. His office confirmed he would highlight Iran’s missile arsenal.
Israel’s concerns intensified during its war with Iran last June, when Tehran launched ballistic missiles at Israeli territory. Iran has rejected expanding talks beyond its nuclear program, while Washington also seeks to address missiles and support for militant groups.
Ahead of his visit, Netanyahu met with Trump’s Middle East envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Tuesday night. They “discussed regional issues, and they provided an update on the first round of negotiations they held with Iran last Friday,” according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, speaking in Australia, said he hoped the talks would help fight Iran’s “empire of evil.” The meeting also comes amid international criticism of new Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s security cabinet approved allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners ahead of Netanyahu’s visit. A US official said Monday that Trump “does not support Israel annexing the West Bank” and wants stability.
