Trump Hosts Netanyahu at White House as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for high-level talks, as tensions rise over Iran’s nuclear programme and negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue in the Middle East.
The meeting, their sixth since Trump returned to office, comes amid renewed U.S.-Iran nuclear discussions, which resumed last Friday in Oman, and growing speculation over possible American military action against Tehran if diplomacy fails.
Netanyahu, who brought forward his Washington trip by a week, said the urgency of the talks reflected Israel’s concerns over the direction of the negotiations. He said he would present Israel’s position on what he described as the “essential principles” of any agreement, stressing that they were vital not only for Israel, but for global peace and security.
These principles are widely understood to include strict limits on Iran’s uranium enrichment, restrictions on its ballistic missile programme, and an end to Tehran’s support for regional groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Netanyahu’s office said any deal must also address Iran’s broader regional influence, describing it as a central security threat.
U.S. officials have outlined similar priorities ahead of the Oman talks, although Iran has rejected efforts to widen the scope of negotiations beyond its nuclear programme. Tehran has said it is willing to scale back nuclear activities if economic sanctions are lifted, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted the talks were “exclusively nuclear.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also warned that Iran would not submit to what he called “excessive demands” from Washington.
After arriving in Washington on Tuesday, Netanyahu received briefings on the Oman negotiations from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser.
The visit comes as the United States strengthens its military posture in the region. Trump has warned Iran of possible military strikes if it fails to reach a nuclear deal and halt its violent crackdown on protesters. A large U.S. naval force, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, has been deployed to the Gulf, and Trump said he was considering sending a second carrier group to further increase pressure on Tehran.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, Trump maintained that a diplomatic solution remains possible, saying he believed Iran “wants to make a deal very badly,” even as he continued to warn of serious consequences if talks collapse.
