Netanyahu to press Trump on tougher Iran deal as White House weighs second carrier deployment
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to push U.S. President Donald Trump to harden Washington’s stance in nuclear talks with Iran during a hastily arranged White House meeting today, as the president signals he may send a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
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The talks, set to begin at 11 a.m. local time (4 p.m. Irish time), come days after Iran resumed negotiations with the United States in Oman and warned of “destructive influences” on diplomacy ahead of Netanyahu’s visit. The Israeli leader, making his sixth trip to the U.S. since Trump returned to office, has said his priority is the Iran file, particularly Tehran’s ballistic missile program.
“I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations,” Netanyahu said in a video statement before departure, with his office emphasizing he will highlight Iran’s missile arsenal.
Trump, speaking to Axios, said he is “thinking” of dispatching another carrier group to the region. “Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” he said. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.” He separately told Fox Business that any agreement must mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles,” adding that Iran’s leaders “want to make a deal” but “it’s got to be a good deal,” after being “very dishonest with us over the years.”
The White House push comes against the backdrop of last year’s Israel-Iran war, an unprecedented 12-day conflict in which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles into Israeli territory, striking military and civilian areas. During that fighting, Trump ordered U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Iran has entered the latest talks cautioning against outside pressure as Washington weighs additional military moves. The USS Abraham Lincoln has operated in the Arabian Sea, and a second carrier group could intensify the signal aimed at Tehran as negotiators test whether a deal is possible.
The Netanyahu-Trump meeting also unfolds amid mounting international criticism of Israeli steps to tighten control of the occupied West Bank. Israel’s security cabinet approved a measure allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners, a shift announced just before Netanyahu’s trip. A U.S. official said Trump “does not support Israel annexing the West Bank” and wants stability, while holding off from directly criticizing the Israeli government’s moves. It is unclear whether the president intends to raise the issue in today’s session.
Beyond Iran, the two leaders are expected to discuss Gaza and other regional matters. Today’s meeting will be their sixth on U.S. soil since January 2025 — five at the White House and one at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. They also met in Jerusalem in October when Trump announced a cease-fire in Gaza.
With Washington and Tehran circling a possible return to talks while posturing militarily, the outcome may hinge on whether Trump’s demand for a broader package — “no nuclear weapons, no missiles” — can be reconciled with Iran’s insistence on limiting the agenda. Netanyahu is arriving determined to stiffen the U.S. line, but any breakthrough will have to navigate both the pressures at sea and the political crosscurrents on land.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
