Trump and Netanyahu Meet for 2.5 Hours as Iran Nuclear Talks Hang in Balance

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held closed-door talks for more than two and a half hours at the White House on Wednesday, emerging with no definitive agreement on how to proceed with nuclear negotiations with Iran as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.

The meeting, the seventh between the two leaders since Trump returned to office last year, came just days after U.S. and Iranian officials held preliminary nuclear talks in Oman. Netanyahu had rushed to Washington hoping to influence the next round of negotiations, seeking to expand any potential deal beyond Iran's nuclear program to include restrictions on its ballistic missile arsenal and support for regional proxies.

"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated," Trump said in a social media post following the meeting. "If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference."

Trump's comments stopped short of publicly accepting Netanyahu's entreaties for broader diplomatic demands, leaving Israel's security concerns partially unaddressed. The president warned that if negotiations fail, the outcome would be uncertain, noting that the last time Iran rejected a deal, the United States struck its nuclear sites in June 2025 during Operation Midnight Hammer.

Israeli officials had expressed concern that Washington might pursue a narrow nuclear agreement that fails to address Iran's missile program or its backing of armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Netanyahu's office said in a statement after the talks that the prime minister "emphasized the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations, and the two agreed to continue their close coordination and tight contact."

The talks also covered the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, where progress on Trump's 20-point plan to end the war has stalled. "We discussed the tremendous progress being made in Gaza, and the Region in general," Trump said, though major gaps remain over Hamas disarmament and the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Trump has been weighing additional military pressure on Tehran, telling Axios on Tuesday that he was considering deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. "A good deal with Iran would mean no nuclear weapons, no missiles," he told Fox Business in an interview broadcast Tuesday.

Iran has rejected any expansion of the talks beyond its nuclear activities. "The Islamic Republic's missile capabilities are non-negotiable," said Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, on Wednesday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country would "not yield to excessive demands" on its nuclear program, though he reiterated that Iran is not seeking atomic weapons.

Wednesday's White House meeting was notably lower-key than previous Netanyahu visits. The two leaders were photographed shaking hands in an image released by the Israeli Embassy, but unlike past encounters, no press pool was allowed into the Oval Office. Netanyahu's trip, originally scheduled for February 18, was brought forward amid renewed U.S. engagement with Iran.

Regional analysts say the outcome leaves both sides in a holding pattern. "Trump is keeping his options open while trying to reassure Israel that their concerns are being heard," said a Middle East policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "But the gap between what Israel wants and what Iran is willing to concede remains significant."

The stakes extend beyond the immediate negotiations. Both sides at last week's Oman meeting described the talks as positive, with further discussions expected soon. However, Trump has repeatedly threatened military intervention if diplomacy fails, while Tehran has vowed to retaliate against any attack, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

Netanyahu's security cabinet on Sunday authorized steps that would make it easier for Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israel broader powers in the territory — a move that drew international condemnation and that Trump has opposed. The issue of Palestinian statehood, which Netanyahu's far-right coalition has long resisted, remains another point of potential friction with the Trump administration.

As the U.S. and Israel navigate these complex negotiations, readers interested in understanding the broader geopolitical context may find books on Iran's nuclear program and Middle East diplomacy provide valuable historical perspective. The region's history of conflict and negotiation offers important context for understanding the current stakes.

The next round of U.S.-Iran talks is expected to take place in the coming weeks, with both sides facing pressure to reach an agreement before military options become more likely. For now, Trump's insistence on continuing negotiations offers a narrow diplomatic window — one that could close quickly if either side decides that compromise is no longer possible.

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