Donald Trump’s Iran threat: US President tells Benjamin Netanyahu he will continue nuclear talks
After holding nuclear talks with Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump has issued a chilling warning to Iran.
US President Donald Trump has held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss renewed US nuclear talks with Iran and says he told the Israeli leader that negotiations will continue to see if a deal can be reached.
Mr Netanyahu had been expected to push for Mr Trump to widen talks with Iran beyond its nuclear program to include limits on its missile arsenal and other security threats.
In their seventh meeting since Mr Trump returned to office last year, Mr Netanyahu, whose visit was more muted than usual and closed to the press, was looking to influence the next round of US discussions with Iran following nuclear negotiations held in Oman last Friday.
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Mr Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if no agreement is reached, while Iran has vowed to retaliate, stoking fears of a wider war.
He has repeatedly voiced support for a secure Israel, a longstanding US ally and arch-foe of Iran.
In media interviews on Tuesday, Mr Trump reiterated his warning, saying that while he believes Iran wants a deal, he would do “something very tough” if it refused.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated,” Mr Trump said in a social media post after the meeting with Mr Netanyahu.
“If it can, I let the prime minister know that will be a preference.”
“If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be. Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — That did not work well for them. Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.”
Operation Midnight Hammer, which Mr Trump referenced, saw the United States drop multiple “bunker buster” GBU-57A/B MOP bombs on nuclear sites across Iran, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in June 2025.
Mr Trump told Fox Business in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that a good deal with Iran would mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles,” without elaborating.
He also told Axios he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of a major US military buildup near Iran.
Israel fears that US officials might pursue a narrow nuclear deal that does not include restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile program or an end to Iranian support for armed proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah, according to people familiar with the matter.
Israeli officials have urged the US not to trust Iran’s promises.
Iran has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions but has ruled out linking the issue to missiles.
“The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on Wednesday.
