Image Credit: Anadolu / Contributor / Getty 
On Wednesday President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The two discussed Iran’s nuclear ambitions and what their tactics against it will be going forward. Trump’s goal is to curb Tehran’s nuclear weapons development via negotiation, not war. Wednesday’s three-hour meeting is Trump’s seventh with the Israeli leader since taking office a year ago.
Trump hopes to continue diplomacy with Iran, not escalate the situation into a military conflict:
I have just finished meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, of Israel, and various of his Representatives. It was a very good meeting, the tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues. There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be. Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — That did not work well for them. Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible. Additionally, we discussed the tremendous progress being made in Gaza, and the Region in general. There is truly PEACE in the Middle East. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Netanyahu spoke with the Secretary of State prior to his meeting with the President:
Met with U.S. Secretary of State @marcorubio at Blair House in Washington.
Ahead of my meeting at the White House with President Trump, I signed Israel’s accession as a member of the “Board of Peace.”
We will continue strengthening the unbreakable alliance between Israel and the United States.
The Israeli Prime Minister also signed up for the Board of Peace, something Netanyahu refused to do weeks ago:
Image credit: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES – FEBRUARY 11: (—-EDITORIAL USE ONLY â” MANDATORY CREDIT – ‘AVI OHAYON / GPO / HANDOUT’ – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS—-) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC, United States on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Avi Ohayon – GPO/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Tuesday night Netanyahu met with Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner:
The PM and envoys Witkoff and Kushner discussed regional issues, and they provided an update on the first round of negotiations they held with Iran last Friday.
Some believe that Netanyahu seeks to derail negotiations and move toward war.
“It’s been clear for some time that Netanyahu’s goal here is to prevent negotiations,” Phyllis Bennis, a longtime fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and a sharp critic of U.S. Middle East policy told Al Jazeera. “And if there are to be negotiations, to essentially scuttle them.”
U.S. and Iranian officials held indirect nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman on Friday. Tehran insisted on its “right to enrich uranium” but its missile capabilities were not discussed at that meeting. The talks took place directly after the Pentagon conducted live-fire drills off Iran’s coast as tensions escalate.
Washington and Tehran continued their negotiations on Tuesday, with the Islamic Dictator saying he hopes to reach a “balanced and just” agreement.
On Tuesday Trump spoke with Fox Business Network’s Larry Kudlow where he said:
Embed from Getty Images“We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal,” Trump said Tuesday. “I think they’d be foolish if they didn’t. We took out their nuclear power last time, and we’ll have to see if we take out more this time.”
“It’s got to be a good deal. No nuclear weapons, no missiles.”
Image credit: WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES â” FEBRUARY 11: (—-EDITORIAL USE ONLY â” MANDATORY CREDIT – ‘AVI OHAYON / GPO / HANDOUT’ – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS—-) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) hold a document after their meeting in Washington, United States, on February 11, 2026. Following the meeting, Netanyahu signed on behalf of Israel for membership in the Gaza Peace Council. (Photo by Avi Ohayon – GPO/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Notably absent from Trump’s public statement was the discussion of Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, something he’s voiced opposition to in December. The two may have talked about this behind closed doors, however.
