Netanyahu is pushing for expanded Iran talks as Trump says Tehran wants a deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump says helium believes Iran wants to marque a woody connected its atomic program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived astatine the White House connected Wednesday with his ain urgent message: Expand the talks further.

The sojourn from Netanyahu — their seventh gathering successful Trump’s 2nd word — comes arsenic some Tehran and Washington are projecting cautious optimism aft holding indirect talks successful Oman connected Friday astir however erstwhile again to attack negotiations implicit Iran’s atomic program.

“We’ll spot what happens. I deliberation they privation to marque a deal," Trump said successful an interrogation Tuesday with Fox Business Network’s Larry Kudlow. “I deliberation they’d beryllium foolish if they didn’t. We took retired their atomic powerfulness past time, and we’ll person to spot if we instrumentality retired much this time.”

He added, ”It’s got to beryllium a bully deal. No atomic weapons, nary missiles."

Netanyahu pushes for much successful Iran talks

Netanyahu's bureau says helium wants those talks to see limits connected Iran's ballistic rocket programme and enactment for militant groups specified arsenic Hamas and Hezbollah.

“I volition contiguous to the president our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations — the indispensable principles which, successful my opinion, are important not lone to Israel, but to everyone astir the satellite who wants bid and information successful the Middle East,” Netanyahu said Tuesday earlier leaving Israel.

It remains unclear however overmuch power Netanyahu volition person implicit Trump's attack toward Iran. Trump initially threatened to instrumentality subject enactment implicit Iran’s bloody crackdown connected nationwide protests successful January, past shifted to a unit run successful caller weeks to effort to get Tehran to marque a woody implicit its atomic program.

Iran is inactive reeling from the 12-day warfare with Israel successful June. The devastating bid of airstrikes, including the U.S. bombing respective Iranian atomic sites, killed astir 1,000 radical successful Iran and astir 40 successful Israel.

Trump, astatine the time, said the U.S. enactment had “obliterated" Iran's atomic capabilities, though the magnitude of harm remains unclear. Satellite photos of atomic sites person precocious captured activity, prompting interest Iran could beryllium attempting to salvage oregon measure harm astatine the sites.

Israel has agelong called for Iran to cease each uranium enrichment, dial backmost its ballistic rocket programme and chopped ties to militant groups crossed the region. Iran has ever rejected those demands, saying it would lone judge immoderate limits connected its atomic programme successful instrumentality for sanctions relief.

Washington has built up subject forces successful the region, sending an craft carrier, guided-missile destroyers, aerial defence assets and much to supplement its presence. Arab and Islamic countries, including Turkey and Qatar, person been urging some sides to amusement restraint, informing that immoderate onslaught oregon retaliation could person destabilizing consequences for a portion already strained by the Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza.

Gaza is simply a apt topic

That struggle is definite to travel up with Trump readying to clasp the archetypal gathering adjacent week of his Board of Peace, which was initially framed to oversee aboriginal steps of the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire program but has taken signifier with Trump's ambitions of resolving different planetary crises.

Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio astatine Blair House, crossed the thoroughfare from the White House. The premier curate signed to beryllium portion of the board, which could bespeak helium mightiness skip its archetypal authoritative meeting.

On Iran, Trump said Friday that his peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner had “very good” talks and much were planned this week. But the Republican president kept up the pressure, informing that if Iran did not marque a woody implicit its atomic program, “the consequences are precise steep.”

Iran's overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, made akin comments, saying determination volition beryllium consultations connected “next steps.” He besides said the level of mistrust betwixt the 2 longtime adversaries remains a “serious situation facing the negotiations.”

He signaled that Iran would instrumentality to its presumption that it indispensable beryllium capable to enrich uranium — a large constituent of contention with Trump.

Netanyahu met with Witkoff and Kushner soon aft arriving successful Washington connected Tuesday evening and they gave him an update connected the talks held with Iran successful Oman, the premier minister's bureau said.

Araghchi said successful November that Iran was nary longer enriching uranium owed to the harm from past year’s war.

Before the war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, method measurement distant from weapons-grade levels. The U.N. atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, had said Iran was the lone state successful the satellite to enrich to that level that was not equipped with the bomb.

Iran has been refusing requests by the IAEA to inspect the sites bombed successful the June war. Even earlier that, Iran has restricted IAEA inspections since Trump’s determination successful 2018 to unilaterally retreat the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 atomic woody with satellite powers.

___

Amiri reported from New York.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.