U.S. President Donald Trump with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File
| Photo Credit: AP
U.S. President Donald Trump met for more than two hours behind closed doors with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) and said he’d insisted that negotiations with Iran continue as the U.S. pushes for a nuclear deal with Tehran.
Mr. Netanyahu entered the White House out of the view of reporters and left without issuing a statement on what was said. But Mr. Trump, in a subsequent post on his social media site, called it “a very good meeting” but said “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,” Mr. Trump wrote. “If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”
He added, “Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal” and were hit by U.S. strikes. “Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible,” Mr. Trump wrote.
The visit from Mr. Netanyahu — their seventh meeting in Mr. Trump’s second term — comes as both Tehran and Washington are projecting cautious optimism after holding indirect talks in Oman on Friday (February 6, 2026) about how, once again, to approach negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Mr. Trump said in a Tuesday (February 10, 2026) interview with Fox Business Network’s Larry Kudlow. “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.” He added, “It’s got to be a good deal. No nuclear weapons, no missiles.”
Netanyahu pushes for more in Iran talks
Mr. Netanyahu’s office says he wants those talks to include limits on Iran’s ballistic missile programme and support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
“I will present to the president our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations — the essential principles which, in my opinion, are important not only to Israel but to everyone around the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Mr. Netanyahu said on Tuesday (February 11, 2026) before leaving Israel.
It remains unclear how much influence Mr. Netanyahu will have over Mr. Trump’s approach toward Iran. Mr. Trump initially threatened to take military action over Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in January, then shifted to a pressure campaign in recent weeks to try to get Tehran to make a deal over its nuclear programme.
Iran is still reeling from the 12-day war with Israel in June. The devastating series of airstrikes, including the U.S. bombing of several Iranian nuclear sites, killed nearly 1,000 people in Iran and almost 40 in Israel.
Mr. Trump, at the time, said the U.S, action had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, though the amount of damage remains unclear. Satellite photos of nuclear sites have recently captured activity, prompting concern that Iran could be attempting to salvage or assess damage at the sites.
Gaza is also a topic
In his post, Mr. Trump added that he and Mr. Netanyahu had “also discussed the tremendous progress being made in Gaza and the Region in general.” Mr. Trump plans to hold the first meeting next week of his Board of Peace, which was initially framed to oversee future steps of the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan but has taken shape with Mr. Trump’s ambitions of resolving other global crises.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Netanyahu (February 11, 2026) met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House, across the street from the White House. The Prime Minister signed to be part of the board, which could indicate he might skip its first official meeting.
Published – February 12, 2026 01:36 am IST
