President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded a White House meeting Tuesday with both governments describing the talks as “positive and productive” and reaffirming their shared commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, as the president weighs whether to continue negotiations with Tehran or authorize additional military action.
Iran dominated the discussions, according to Israeli and White House officials, after Trump warned just hours before the meeting that the United States would strike Iran’s suspected Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility if Tehran refuses to reach an agreement over its nuclear program. Following the talks, Netanyahu called the meeting “one of the best conversations” he has ever had with an American president, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt likewise described the meeting as “positive and productive.”
“I have just concluded an excellent meeting with President Trump,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released after the talks. “When I say excellent, I don’t mean it in a superficial way. It was a conversation marked by full partnership, mutual support, and a shared understanding of our common goal: ensuring that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.” Netanyahu added that it was “one of the best conversations I have ever had with a president of the United States” and “an opportunity to exchange ideas, and to coordinate on things that are important for the security and the future of Israel.”
A senior Israeli official who accompanied Netanyahu likewise described the meeting as “extremely positive,” saying the leaders held an “excellent and comprehensive discussion” focused “first and foremost” on Iran while reaffirming their “ironclad commitment” to ensuring the Islamic Republic never acquires a nuclear weapon. Another Israeli source said the leaders also reaffirmed that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, “whether through an agreement or otherwise.”
The meeting was held privately without reporters present. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter were among the senior American and Israeli officials who participated in the discussions.
Hours before meeting with Netanyahu, Trump reiterated that while diplomacy remains his preferred outcome, he is prepared to order additional military action if negotiations fail.
Asked during a telephone interview with Fox News about reports Netanyahu planned to discuss activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain site, Trump dismissed suggestions that he needed the Israeli prime minister to brief him on developments there, saying, “I don’t need Bibi to tell me that,” because the United States already knows “exactly what’s going on” through its intelligence capabilities.
“We know exactly what’s going on,” Trump said. “I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem.”
Trump nevertheless warned that the underground facility would become a target if diplomacy fails.
“We took out their nuclear sites, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal,” Trump said. “If we don’t make a deal, we’ll take it out very easily.”
Trump reiterated that Iran would never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon while maintaining that negotiations with Tehran remain possible.
“We can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion, and they’ll come out and say, ‘We didn’t discuss nuclear,’” Trump said. “Well, that’s all we discuss, because they’ll never have a nuclear weapon. They understand that. And we have had some very good talks.” Trump separately said that “Iran wants to talk” and added there remained “a possibility we’ll do a deal.”
After the meeting, Netanyahu’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate head Tzipi Hotovely rejected reports suggesting the prime minister traveled to Washington to present specific intelligence regarding Pickaxe Mountain or pressure Trump to resume military operations. “There is no truth in the claim that Israel is pushing the U.S. in a certain direction on the Iran issue,” Hotovely said, adding that Israel and the United States work closely through established intelligence channels and that “we do not tell the president of the United States what to do.” Instead, she said both governments remained closely aligned on Iran, adding, “There was a deep understanding in the meeting that we are striving for the same goal,” referring to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Israeli officials said Netanyahu presented Israel’s assessment of developments in Iran while emphasizing that Washington will ultimately determine its own course regarding future diplomacy or military action. The leaders also discussed expanding the Abraham Accords, including the possibility of Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Tuesday’s meeting underscored the close coordination between Washington and Jerusalem as Trump weighs whether renewed diplomacy can permanently prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or if additional military action will ultimately be required.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.