The premier reportedly told Trump that there is ‘no choice’ but to attack Iran again with heavier and more ‘significant’ strikes
News Desk - The Cradle
In a statement, Netanyahu called the meeting “excellent” and said it was “one of the best conversations I’ve had with our friend, US President Trump.”
“It was a meeting with full cooperation, with mutual support, with understanding on the joint goal that Iran won’t have nuclear weapons, and also other goals,” the premier added.
He also called it an opportunity to “exchange ideas, and also to coordinate on things that are important for the security and for the future of Israel.”
The White House said in its own statement that the talks were “productive and positive.” The Israeli premier met with Trump for an hour and a half, it added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump’s envoy to the region Steve Witkoff, and CIA chief John Ratcliffe were also present, as shown in images released by Netanyahu’s office.
Ahead of his arrival in Washington a day earlier, the Israeli prime minister had said his meeting with Trump would focus “first and foremost” on Iran.
Hebrew media reports have reinforced this since the end of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
A senior official close to Netanyahu told the Times of Israel on Tuesday evening that the talks, despite touching on “all arenas,” were focused “primarily on Iran.”
The official said it was a “very good” and “very positive” meeting, stressing that the two “reiterated the joint commitment to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons.”
Another senior Israeli official told Hebrew outlet Channel 12 that “We are in a critical period” and that “President Trump will make a decision soon where he is heading.”
“We are not pushing him, but also aren’t burying our heads in the sand. Netanyahu presented [Trump with] the Israeli perspective,” the official added.
According to the report, Netanyahu “believes there is no choice” but to attack the Islamic Republic again.
Netanyahu is stressing that they need to be “significant attacks — on nuclear facilities, capabilities that have been rebuilt, and sites that weren’t previously hit.”
The prime minister thinks this would possibly be able to “shake the stability of the regime.”
Hours before the meeting, Israeli War Minister Israel Katz said in an interview with Channel 14 that Washington is preventing Tel Aviv from bombarding Iran's power infrastructure.
“We very much want to strike Iran’s energy targets,” he said, adding that the US “is not approving it at the moment because of the concern that Iran would attack neighboring countries, causing a global oil crisis.”
Netanyahu’s visit to Washington follows the pause of a two-week campaign of brutal US airstrikes against Iran – which Israel is said not to have been involved in.
Tehran has responded with devastating strikes on Washington’s assets across the region, inflicting heavy confirmed losses and casualties across US bases in the region.
Washington downplayed the casualties and losses.
The US claims it paused strikes on Iran after mediators intervened and lobbied Trump to return to talks.
US media reports, including one this week by Axios, said Trump halted the attacks after military advisors briefed him on their “limited effectiveness.”
Earlier this month, the Iranian army vowed that if Trump follows through on his renewed threats to destroy Iran's bridges and power infrastructure, Tehran will leave “no trace” of the US military presence in West Asia and launch widespread strikes on major US-linked energy sites across the region.
Iran has also repeatedly warned that renewed Israeli strikes will be met with a “crushing” retaliation.
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