Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that while US President Donald Trump believes he is creating the conditions for a “good deal” with Iran, Netanyahu remains skeptical about the potential agreement’s quality.
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Speaking after his seventh meeting with Trump since the US president returned to office, Netanyahu stressed that any deal must address more than Iran’s nuclear programme. “It’s not just the nuclear issue,” he said, highlighting Iran’s ballistic missile development and support for militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
🇮🇱|•|Netanyahu’s recap of the Trump meeting: no breakthrough yet on Iran, but talks continue. Trump pushes for a ‘good deal’; Netanyahu expresses general skepticism but lays out Israel’s must-haves zero enrichment capability, missile limits, and ending support for… pic.twitter.com/3Z26gCxqd8
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“The president believes that the Iranians have already learned who they are dealing with,” Netanyahu said, adding that Trump thinks lessons from past failed negotiations may help secure a stronger outcome. Despite this, the Israeli leader expressed “general skepticism regarding the quality of any agreement with Iran.”
Trump, during the White House meeting on Wednesday, indicated his preference for a deal but remained open to alternative outcomes if negotiations fail. The US president has also hinted at possible military action following Iran’s crackdown on protests last month.
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran recently resumed in Oman, though Iran has rejected expanding talks beyond its nuclear programme, while the US seeks inclusion of ballistic missile restrictions and limitations on support for regional militant groups. The last round of talks was interrupted by a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June, in which the US carried out limited strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
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Netanyahu’s statement underscores ongoing Israeli concerns about Iran’s regional influence and the broader scope of any potential nuclear agreement.