Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he is skeptical that a quality deal can be reached with Iran that neuters its threats to the region, but he put support behind President Trump’s efforts to reach an agreement.
Netanyahu made the remarks following a meeting with Trump at the White House on Wednesday. After that meeting, Trump said “nothing definitive”was reached in his conversations with Netanyahu, and the two did not do a joint press conference.
Netanyahu said Thursday his talks with Trump were “primarily” focused on Iran, and he described a “very close, very genuine and very open relationship” with the U.S. president.
The two leaders also discussed regional issues, including the Gaza Strip, where Trump is working to advance his peace plan since securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October. Netanyahu reportedly won’t return to the U.S. next week for a meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace, which is responsible for implementing the U.S. peace plan.
Netanyahu said he told Trump he’s skeptical of “the quality of an agreement with Iran” but said Trump is creating “conditions for achieving a good deal.”
“The president believes that the Iranians have already learned who they are dealing with,” Netanyahu said.
In June, Trump authorized strikes following a White House deadline for Iran to come to an agreement with the U.S. The U.S. and Israel coordinated strikes on Iran’s air defenses, military sites and nuclear facilities.
In recent weeks, Trump has dispatched additional military assets to the Middle East, including the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, and floated sending a second strike group, as the U.S. and Iran have resumed negotiations over its nuclear program.
“I think that the conditions he is creating, combined with the fact that they surely understand they made a mistake last time by not reaching an agreement, could lead to the conditions for achieving a good deal,” Netanyahu said.
“He wanted to hear my opinion. I won’t hide from you that I expressed general skepticism about the quality of any agreement with Iran,” he continued.
“But I said that if an agreement is indeed reached, it must include elements that are very important to us, to Israel — and, in my opinion, not only to Israel.”
THE HILL
