MAR-A-LAGO, Florida — President Donald Trump warned Iran against rebuilding its nuclear and missile programs as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at his Florida estate, signaling support for further Israeli action if Tehran presses ahead.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump told reporters shortly after Netanyahu arrived at Mar-a-Lago. “We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”
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The meeting came amid a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza, tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, and renewed Israeli concerns that Iran is replenishing long-range missiles. Trump said Iran’s nuclear capabilities were “completely and fully obliterated” by U.S. strikes on key enrichment sites in June, an assertion Tehran disputes as it insists it is no longer enriching uranium and says it remains open to negotiations.
Netanyahu was expected to press the case for potential new military action against Iran, months after Israel fought a 12-day war with Tehran. An Israeli official said the prime minister would present intelligence on Iranian efforts to rebuild its arsenal, without detailing specific demands.
Trump criticized Iran for not agreeing to “completely disarm” its nuclear program ahead of the U.S. and Israeli strikes earlier this year. He said he would be open to backing another rapid Israeli attack if Iran continues developing its ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities.
“I feel that if you had the wrong prime minister, Israel would not exist,” Trump said, offering effusive praise for Netanyahu. He also claimed Israeli President Isaac Herzog told him he planned to pardon Netanyahu on corruption-related charges — a statement Herzog’s office rejected. “There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted,” the president’s office said.
Trump said he wants to move to the second phase of the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire “as quickly as we can,” but added that “there has to be a disarming of Hamas.” Some aides and allies have suggested Netanyahu has been slow to implement elements of the accord, signed in October. Before seeing Trump, Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The truce’s first phase began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages taken then have been released, alive or dead. Netanyahu has signaled he is in no rush to move forward while the remains of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, are believed to still be in Gaza. Gvili’s parents met with Netanyahu, Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Florida, and were expected to meet Trump later, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The group said the family is seeking to block a transition to Phase 2 until Hamas fulfills Phase 1 commitments and returns Ran home.
The White House-brokered plan — a 20-point proposal that the U.N. Security Council endorsed — envisions ending Hamas rule in Gaza. But progress has slowed in recent weeks as Israel, the United States and Arab partners argue over the path forward and accuse one another of violations.
Regional pressure points extend beyond Gaza. A U.S.-backed ceasefire in Lebanon in November 2024 ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the Iran-aligned group to disarm, beginning south of the border-adjacent river. Lebanon says it is near the year-end deadline for the effort, but Hezbollah has resisted laying down arms. Israel says progress is partial and slow and has conducted near-daily strikes it says are aimed at stopping Hezbollah from rebuilding. Iran, which fought a 12-day war with Israel in June, said last week it conducted missile exercises for the second time this month.
Netanyahu said Israel does not seek a confrontation with Iran but would raise Tehran’s activities with Trump. The president, meanwhile, said he hopes Israel can improve ties with Syria, even as Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly crossed into Syrian territory since former strongman Bashar al-Assad was deposed late last year.
Trump in June ordered U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, then floated the possibility of a deal with Tehran. On Monday, he framed the choice starkly: Iran could negotiate, or face the prospect of coordinated U.S.-Israeli action if it tries to reconstitute its programs.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
