Trump ‘insists’ on continued Iran talks in meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu

admin — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 20:14:00 +0000

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

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Netanyahu to meet Trump with Iran missiles high on agenda

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:35:00 +0000

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday (February 11, 2026), seeking to press him to adopt a tougher line on Iran’s ballistic missile programme in the next round of talks.

It will be their sixth meeting in the United States since Mr. Trump returned to office a year ago. They also met in Jerusalem in October when Mr. Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.

The meeting comes days after arch-foes Iran and the United States held talks in Oman, after which Mr. Trump said another round of negotiations would follow.

Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Trump will also meet amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from its Palestinian owners.

However, it remains unclear whether the issue will be raised in their talks, despite Mr. Trump’s past opposition to any annexation of the West Bank.

Mr. Netanyahu’s office said he will highlight Israel’s concerns over Iran’s missile arsenal in discussions with Mr. Trump, and not just the nuclear programme.

He “believes any negotiations must include limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis”, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said over the weekend, referring to Iran’s allies in the region.

So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the U.S. beyond the nuclear issue, though Washington also wants Tehran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups on the table.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned Tuesday (February 10, 2026) that Mr. Netanyahu’s visit would have a “destructive” influence on diplomacy that is “detrimental to the region”.

Israel’s concerns came to a head during an unprecedented war between the two longtime adversaries in June last year.

Since then, Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that Iran’s missile capabilities pose a threat distinct from, and in some ways more immediate than, its nuclear programme.

Israeli officials argue that Iran could strike Israel with little warning and also overwhelm the country’s air-defence systems in a sustained conflict.

During the June war, Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.

Those that landed in densely populated areas “caused severe damage,” said Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies.

“I don’t think it’s like existential threat, but definitely it’s a major threat on the Israeli home front.”

Missiles a ‘red line’

Analysts say Netanyahu is very wary of any deal with the Iranians.

“He’s concerned that President Trump is not quite as enthusiastic about a military attack on the Iranians as Netanyahu wishes were the case,” said Guy Ziv, an associate professor at the foreign policy and global security department at American University in Washington.

“He wants to first convince President Trump that Iran’s ballistic missiles, which he sees as a major threat to Israel, must be included in any agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme.”

“He wants to make sure that… Trump sees that as a red line as well,” Mr. Ziv told AFP.

“For Netanyahu, the maximalist objective is clear: regime change (in Iran) or at the very least the complete dismantling of nuclear and missile capabilities,” geopolitical analyst Michael Horowitz told AFP.

The 12-day war in June was triggered by unprecedented Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as residential areas.

The United States later joined the offensive, striking three Iranian nuclear sites, before a ceasefire brokered by Mr. Trump came into force.

In Israel, the war killed 30 people and caused extensive damage to property, including a hospital and several public institutions.

In October 2024 Iran fired a barrage of some 200 missiles at Israel in response to the assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah.

In April 2024, amid the Israel–Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, Iran — a key backer of the Palestinian Islamist group — launched its first-ever drone and missile attack on Israel.

That strike was in retaliation for a deadly attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus days earlier, which Tehran blamed on Israel.