Ammon News - President Donald Trump will host Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday where the Israeli prime minister is expected to press him to widen U.S. talks with Iran to include curbs on Tehran’s missile arsenal and other security threats that go beyond its nuclear program.

In his seventh meeting with Trump since the president returned to office nearly 13 months ago, Netanyahu will be looking to influence the next round of U.S. discussions with Iran following nuclear negotiations held in Oman last Friday amid heightened Middle East tensions.

Trump has threatened to carry out strikes on Iran if an agreement is not reached, and Tehran has responded with vows to retaliate, fueling fears of a wider regional war. He has repeatedly voiced support for a secure Israel, long a close U.S. ally in the Middle East and an arch-foe of Iran.

The president repeated his warning in a series of media interviews on Tuesday, saying while he believes Iran wants to make a deal, he would do "something very tough" if they refused.

TRUMP SAYS NO TO IRANIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS, MISSILES
Trump told Fox Business that a good deal with Iran would mean "no nuclear weapons, no missiles," but did not elaborate, and he said in an interview with Axios he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of a massive buildup of U.S. forces near Iran.

Israel is concerned that the U.S. might pursue a narrow nuclear deal that does not include limitations on Iran’s ballistic missile program or an end to Iranian support for armed proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, according to people familiar with the matter.

“I will present to the president our perceptions of the principles in the negotiations,” Netanyahu told reporters before departing for the U.S.

The two men could also discuss potential military action in the event that U.S.-Iran diplomacy fails, according to one of the sources.
After arriving in Washington on Tuesday night, Netanyahu met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who led the U.S. team at the Iran talks, according to a post on X by Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Leiter.

GAZA ALSO ON THE AGENDA
Also on the agenda will be Gaza, with Trump looking to push ahead with a ceasefire agreement he helped to broker. Progress on his 20-point plan to end the war and rebuild the shattered Palestinian enclave has stalled with wide gaps remaining over complex steps it envisions, including Hamas disarming as Israeli troops withdraw in phases.

Reuters