U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Trump hosted Netanyahu for closed-door talks focused on negotiations with Tehran, Gaza and wider rBenjamin Netanyahu ended a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at The White House on Wednesday without reaching agreement on how to move forward on Iran.
Trump hosted Netanyahu for closed-door talks focused on negotiations with Tehran, Gaza and wider regional developments. The leaders did not appear jointly before reporters afterward, marking a departure from previous high-profile meetings in Washington and at Mar-a-Lago.
In a post on Truth Social following the meeting, Trump said no final decision had been reached and stressed that he had pressed for diplomacy to continue.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated,” Trump wrote. “If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference.”
In a separate statement, Netanyahu’s office said he had emphasised Israel’s “security needs” during the discussions and that the two leaders agreed to maintain close coordination as talks with Tehran proceed.
The meeting came after indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations in Oman last week, the first since U.S. strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in June. Further rounds are expected, though no date has been announced.
Before travelling to Washington, Netanyahu said he intended to present Israel’s position on the principles of any prospective agreement with Iran. During his visit, he also met senior U.S. officials involved in the negotiations, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu formally signed Israel into Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’ during a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. Initially presented as a mechanism linked to Gaza’s ceasefire, the initiative is being expanded to address wider global conflicts. Critics say it could operate as a parallel diplomatic platform to the United Nations.
A first leader-level meeting of the board is scheduled in Washington on 19 February, with Gaza reconstruction fundraising expected to be a central focus. The initiative reportedly carries a one billion dollar fee for permanent membership, and several U.S. allies have declined to join so far.
The Washington meeting between Israeli Prime Benjamin Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump is not routine, says geopolitical analyst Ilan Scialom, calling it a “high-stakes preventive diplomatic strike” to secure Israel’s strategic priorities ahead of potential Iran talks. Speaking to AnewZ from France, Scialom noted that while Netanyahu and Trump have met multiple times this year, their seventh meeting carries added significance, as the context has shifted radically since the recent Oman talks with Iran.
He said Netanyahu’s objective is to ensure that Trump’s maximum pressure policy against Tehran remains absolute and to “lock in Israel’s red lines, specifically ballistic missiles, before any deal is finalised.”
According to the analyst, the visit is about “total strategic synchronisation” and guarantees that Israel and the U.S. are aligned before broader diplomatic processes, such as the Board of Peace talks, officially begin.
He warned that Netanyahu’s intervention could significantly affect the negotiations with Tehran. “From a Tehran perspective, Netanyahu isn’t just an observer, he’s a diplomatic saboteur,” Scialom said.
By publicly demanding that the U.S. include ballistic missiles and proxy considerations, Israel is effectively “moving the goalposts in a way that Iran has already called a non-starter.”
Scialom also highlighted internal U.S. dynamics, noting that Netanyahu is not only lobbying Trump but also challenging members of the president’s own team, including Jared Kushner and Whitkoff, who are seen as more receptive to a nuclear-first approach.
“If Netanyahu succeeds in hardening Trump’s resolve, he might inadvertently collapse the Oman process. The alternative would then be further sanctions and with the second U.S. armada on the way, the risk is kinetic escalation.”
Scialom concluded that the visit demonstrates Israel’s determination to influence the U.S.-Iran strategic calculus, while also underscoring the delicate balance Washington must maintain between allied priorities and broader diplomatic objectives.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington comes as U.S. and Iranian officials resumed indirect nuclear negotiations in Oman earlier this month.
The talks follow months of heightened tensions, including a 12‑day conflict between Iran and Israel last year and renewed efforts by Washington to press Tehran on its nuclear programme.
Netanyahu is expected to urge President Trump to expand the scope of negotiations beyond Iran’s nuclear activities to include its ballistic missile development and support for regional militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah - demands Tehran has repeatedly signalled it is unwilling to accept.
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