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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday in a visit expected to center on Iran, as Washington weighs diplomacy against the threat of military action and Israel pushes to shape the scope of negotiations.
Trump has signaled the Iranian file will dominate the agenda. In a phone interview with Axios, the president said Tehran “very much wants to reach a deal,” but warned, “Either we make a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough — like last time.”
Netanyahu, speaking before departing Israel for Washington, said he intends to present Israel’s position. “I will present to the president our concept regarding the principles of the negotiations — the essential principles that are important not only to Israel but to anyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” he told reporters.
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US President Donald Trump (R) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) upon arrival at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)
The meeting comes days after U.S. and Iranian officials resumed talks in Oman for the first time since last summer’s 12-day war, while the United States continues to maintain a significant military presence in the Gulf — a posture widely viewed as both deterrence and for holding leverage in negotiations with Tehran.
From the U.S. perspective, Iran is seen as a global security challenge rather than a regional one, according to Jacob Olidort, chief research officer and director of American security at the America First Policy Institute. “It’s an important historic time of potentially seismic proportions,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Iran is not so much a Middle East issue. It’s a global issue affecting U.S. interests around the world,” he added, calling the regime “probably the world’s oldest global terror network… [with] thousands of Americans killed through proxies.”
Olidort said the administration’s strategy appears to combine diplomacy with visible military pressure. “The president has been clear… should talks not be successful, the military option cannot be off the table,” he said. “Military assets in the region serve as part of the negotiation strategy with Iran.”
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on Jan. 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
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For Israel, the main concern is not only Iran’s nuclear program but also its ballistic missile arsenal and regional network of armed groups.
Trump indicated to Axios that the United States shares at least part of that view, saying any agreement would need to address not only nuclear issues but also Iran’s ballistic missiles.
Israeli intelligence expert Sima Shein has warned that negotiations narrowly focused on nuclear restrictions could leave Israel exposed. “The visit signals a lack of confidence that American envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, alone can represent Israel’s interests in the best way. They were in Israel just a week ago — but Netanyahu wants to speak directly with Trump, so there is no ambiguity about Israel’s position,” she added.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei makes first public appearance in weeks with fresh U.S. threats. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader Credit/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Shein says Iran may be stalling diplomatically to see whether Washington limits talks to nuclear issues while avoiding missile constraints. Her analysis further suggests that a sanctions-relief agreement that leaves Iran’s broader capabilities intact could stabilize the regime at a moment of internal pressure while preserving its military leverage.
“An agreement now would effectively save the regime at a time when it has no real solutions to its internal problems. Lifting sanctions through a deal would give it breathing room and help stabilize it,” she said.
“If there is an agreement, the United States must demand the release of all detainees and insist on humanitarian measures, including medical support for those who have been severely injured. Washington would need to be directly involved in enforcing those provisions.”
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Troops from the Givati Brigade, under the command of the 162nd Division, are operating in the area of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip as part of Operation “Gideon’s Chariots”. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Netanyahu said before leaving Israel that he and Trump would discuss “a series of topics,” including Gaza, where a U.S.-backed postwar framework and ceasefire implementation remain stalled.
According to Israeli reporting, Netanyahu plans to tell Trump that phase two of the Gaza peace plan “is not moving,” reflecting continued disputes over disarmament, governance and security arrangements.
The timing of Netanyahu’s visit may also allow him to avoid returning to Washington the following week for the inaugural session of the Board of Peace, Shein said, noting the initiative is controversial in Israel’s parliament.
Hamas terrorists stand in formation as Palestinians gather on a street to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Feb. 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Israel is deeply concerned about the presence of Turkey and Qatar on the board of peace and their malign influence on other members as well as on the Palestinian authority’s technocratic government,” Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital.
“Hamas’s control of Gaza has not weakened, while international commitments to disarm Hamas have appeared to weaken,” he added, “The longer the U.S. waits before taking action against the Iranian regime, the more compromised Israel is in its ability and determination to forcibly disarm Hamas, both of which require the sanction and the blessing of the new international structures on Gaza.”
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“The prime minister’s deep concern is the stalled state of affairs both against the Iranian regime and apparently in Gaza. Timing is critical on both fronts. And for Israel, the window seems to be closing,” Diker said.