Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday that he remained skeptical about the prospects of reaching a new Iran deal, as he departed Washington after meeting U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base near the U.S. Capitol, Netanyahu described his seventh visit during Trump’s second presidential term as “short but important.”
The prime minister said he held an “excellent conversation” with Trump, emphasizing the “close, genuine and open relationship” between the two leaders.
According to Netanyahu, his discussions at the White House focused primarily on the current nuclear negotiations with the Islamic regime.
He said that Trump believes the Iranians “already understand who they are dealing with,” and that the president thinks his preconditions—combined with Iran’s “understanding that they made a mistake the last time” by not reaching an agreement—could lead to a “good” deal.
On June 9, 2025, Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal for a renewed nuclear deal. Four days later, Israel launched a major aerial campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and military infrastructure. The U.S. military also conducted strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites during the 12-Day War.
Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday that he did “not hide my general skepticism regarding the possibility of reaching any agreement with Iran” during his meetings with senior U.S. officials this week.
The Israeli leader stressed that any potential accord must address not only the regime’s nuclear program but also the acceleration of its ballistic missile development and support for regional terrorism.
“If an agreement is reached, it must include the elements that are important to us, to the State of Israel, and in my view to the entire international community as well. Not only the nuclear issue, but also the ballistic missiles and Iran’s regional proxies,” Netanyahu stated.
‘We will just have to see’
The two leaders also discussed Gaza and broader regional issues, the prime minister added. He concluded by describing Trump as “a great friend of the State of Israel—a president like no other.”
Trump and Netanyahu met at the White House for about two-and-a-half hours on Wednesday.
Trump said the meeting was inconclusive and that his administration would continue the indirect talks with the Islamic Republic in Oman.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated,” the president wrote in a post on his Truth Social.
“If it can, I’ll let the prime minister know that will be a preference,” Trump stated. “If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”
The remarks came as Trump confirmed that he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to prepare for possible military action if the negotiations with Tehran break down.
Trump on Tuesday expressed optimism about the diplomacy, telling Axios that the regime wants to make a deal with the United States “very badly” after he struck their nuclear facilities during the 12-day war.
Trump said it was a “no-brainer” for any deal to cover Tehran’s nuclear program but that he thought it would also be possible to address its ballistic missiles. “We can make a great deal with Iran,” he stated.
