Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday for a high-stakes visit with potential strikes against Iran’s nuclear program expected to be near the top of the agenda.
The last-minute meeting highlights the strong alliance between the two leaders but will also involve tough negotiations. Israel is currently entrenched in a war in Gaza, grappling with the consequences of Trump’s tariffs, and closely watching U.S. actions regarding Iran.
Newsweek has reached out the State Department as well as Iran’s and Israel’s foreign ministries for comment.
The meeting is a crucial moment in U.S.-Israel relations, with both leaders working to solidify their alliance while navigating complex regional issues. One of Netanyahu’s priorities could be to press Trump for stronger action on Iran. At the same time, Israel is engaged in a difficult military campaign in Gaza, and Netanyahu will likely seek Trump’s backing for the ongoing operations.
With shared concerns over Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities, the two leaders are expected to discuss potential military actions, including strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
President Trump has been pushing for a new deal with Tehran to curb Iran’s nuclear program, but little progress has been made so far. Iran’s uranium enrichment continues and that raised U.S. and Israeli concerns that Tehran is edging closer to acquiring nuclear weapons, a claim that Iran denies. There has been widespread speculation that, if diplomatic talks fail, Israel, possibly with U.S. assistance, might take military action against Iranian targets.
Last week, Netanyahu accused Iran of leading what he called an “assault on civilization” during joint remarks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest.
Netanyahu has recently made several statements regarding potential military actions against Iran. In October last year, following missile attacks from Iran, Netanyahu warned that Iran would “pay for it,” emphasizing Israel’s readiness to defend itself and retaliate against any aggressors. He stated, “Iran made a big mistake tonight—and it will pay for it,” reinforcing Israel’s determination to respond decisively to threats.
More recently, Netanyahu addressed the Israeli Knesset, highlighting Israel’s strategy of dismantling Iran’s “axis of evil” by targeting its proxies and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities.
Iran on high alert
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has continued to condemn Israel’s military actions in Gaza. On Monday, he posted on his X account, calling Israel’s actions “acts of terrorism, cruelty, and crime,” adding that the Zionist regime has reached a new low in the history of humanity.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Khamenei has ordered Iran’s armed forces to be placed on high alert after recent threats from President Trump against Tehran.
Reactions
Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft told Newsweek: “During the transition, Trump tweeted a video that correctly pointed out that Netanyahu helped push the US into the disastrous Iraq war and that he has relentlessly tried to drag the US into war with Iran. It would be important for Trump to keep that in mind as Netanyahu seeks to advise Trump on how to conduct diplomacy with Iran – Netanyahu’s goal is for talks to fail so that he can trap Trump into a war with Iran.”
President Donald Trump: “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, on X: “Diplomatic engagement worked in the past and can still work, BUT, it should be clear to all that there is—by definition—no such thing as a ‘military option’ let alone a ‘military solution.’”
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