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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that US President Donald Trump believes the Iranians could be forced to accept “a good deal,” though the premier clarified that he is skeptical of the possibility.
“I have just concluded a short but important visit to Washington, during which I spoke with our great friend, President Trump,” Netanyahu said on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before boarding his aircraft to fly back to Israel. “We have a close, genuine, and open relationship.”
Netanyahu said that the talks the previous day focused on Iran but also covered other issues, namely, Gaza. The meeting was the leaders’ seventh since Trump returned to office last year. It came at a tense time in the Middle East, as the US president threatened to attack Iran over its brutal repression of anti-regime protests last month. Iran has said it would strike Israel and US targets in response.
The US has built up forces in the Middle East and is readying to send more, but it has also embarked on negotiations with Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
“The president believes the Iranians already understand who they are dealing with,” he said. “[Trump] thinks the conditions he is setting, combined with their understanding that they made a mistake last time by not reaching an agreement, could lead them to accept terms that would make it possible to achieve a good deal.”
The prime minister clarified that he himself does “not hide my general skepticism about the possibility of reaching any agreement with Iran.”
He said that he made it clear to the White House that any agreement “must include the components that are important to us, to Israel, and in my view also to the entire international community — not only the nuclear issue, but also ballistic missiles and Iran’s regional proxies.”
“This was another conversation with a great friend of Israel — a president like no other,” Netanyahu said.
Also commenting on his meeting with Netanyahu and the state of the talks with Iran, Trump told reporters: “We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic.”
“I don’t want that to happen, but we have to make a deal,” Trump said. “This will be very traumatic for Iran if they don’t make a deal.”
“They should have made a deal the first time. They got Midnight Hammer instead,” Trump reiterated, referring to the June 2025 US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, which came in the middle of negotiations with Tehran.
“We had a very good meeting yesterday with Bibi Netanyahu, and he understands. But it’s ultimately up to me,” Trump said. “If the deal isn’t a very fair deal and a very good deal with Iran, it’s going to be a very difficult time for them.”
A reporter appears to ask about a timeline for Iran to make a deal, and Trump responded, “I guess over the next month.”
“They should agree very quickly,” he added.
Netanyahu to skip Board of Peace meeting, miss AIPAC conference
Additionally, Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that he will not fly back to the US next week as initially planned, which means he will not attend the Board of Peace’s inaugural meeting on February 19.
He was initially scheduled to land in Washington on February 18 and stay the weekend before speaking at an AIPAC conference on February 22.
But a day after invitations to the Board of Peace meeting went out last Friday, Netanyahu’s office announced that he would be moving up his trip to Washington to this week.
While the visit was framed as urgently needed to discuss the ongoing nuclear talks between the US and Iran, the timing led to speculation that Netanyahu was seeking to avoid attending the Board of Peace summit. The US initiative exposes him to criticism due to its internationalization of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and its granting of a foothold to rival countries Turkey and Qatar in Gaza.
That speculation is effectively reinforced by Netanyahu’s announcement that he won’t be flying back to Washington and will instead be addressing the AIPAC conference virtually.
Netanyahu’s decision may well upset Washington, which is hoping to have a strong turnout of world leaders at the first Board of Peace fundraising meeting.
While he will not attend the meeting, Netanyahu on Wednesday officially joined the Board of Peace with a signature during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He was unable to attend the signing ceremony in Davos due to the international arrest warrant he faces.
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