US President Donald Trumpย said there was no agreement on a plan to move forward with Iran after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“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 said in a social media post after meeting his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday.
Netanyahu sees anย Iran with nuclear weapons as an existential threat to Israel, and has long pressed for regime change in the country.ย ย
Israel likely hoping to convince Trump to widen scope of nuclear deal
Netanyahu and Trump โ spoke behind closed doors for more than twoย and a half hours in what Trump described as a “very goodย meeting,” butย said no major decisions were made.
Wednesday’s meeting between the leaders wasย more muted than usual because neither of them took questions from reporters, as they have inย previous meetings.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations, and the two agreed to continue their close coordination and tight contact,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement after talks.
Netanyahu is pushingย to have Washingtonย expand negotiations beyond Iran’s nuclear program to include its ballistic missile arsenal and support for regional militant groups, Reuters reported citing unnamed people close to the matter.
Iran open to negotiate over nuclear program, but rules out broader talks
The meeting followed indirect US and Iran talks in Oman last week, which both sides described as having been constructive.
Iran has said it is willing to discuss limits on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief but called negotiations over its missile capabilities “non-negotiable.”
On Tuesday, Trump said in an interview that an Iran deal must ensure “no nuclear weapons, no missiles.”
“We took out their nuclear power last time, and we’ll have to see if we take out more this time,” the US president said.
The US has been building up its military forces in the region for weeks to pressure Iran into an agreement and have the firepower necessary to strike the Islamic Republic should Trump choose to do so.ย
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar