USA Trump to Netanyahu: Insist on negotiations with Iran
Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump has made it clear that he prefers an agreement with Iran to military action at the present time.
12.02.2026, 05:17
SDA
He "insisted" that negotiations with Tehran continue in order to find out whether a deal is possible, Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. Netanyahu emphasized Israel's security needs at the seventh meeting with the US president since he took office just over a year ago.
Israel has long warned against an agreement with Iran that is limited to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. The Jewish state is demanding that the arch-enemy also reduce its arsenal of ballistic missiles and support for its allies in the region. Following the meeting in Washington, Netanyahu's office announced that he had agreed with Trump to "continue close coordination and close contact".
Trump: "Hopefully they will be more reasonable this time"
Trump and Netanyahu had also made different public statements before Israel's attack on Iran in June 2025 - before the US military joined in less than a week later and bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. At the time, Israel's attack came just one day before a planned round of further negotiations between Washington and Tehran on Iran's nuclear program.
Iran decided against a deal at the time, Trump wrote after his recent meeting with Netanyahu, adding: "Hopefully they will be more reasonable and responsible this time." Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on Platform X: "We prefer diplomatic means". An agreement on Iran's "peaceful nuclear program is possible, but only if it is fair and balanced," he wrote. Iran "will not shy away from defending its sovereignty, whatever the cost".
Deployment for second aircraft carrier convoy?
Several Israeli media outlets had previously reported that Netanyahu's government believed a new war with the arch-enemy was inevitable and ultimately only a matter of time. Tehran's intransigent stance in the negotiations was cited as the reason.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing three US officials, that the Pentagon had instructed a second aircraft carrier group to prepare for a mission in the Middle East. However, Trump has not yet issued an official deployment order and the plans could still change.
USA has expanded its military presence
Trump had previously told the US news portal "Axios" that he was considering sending another aircraft carrier to the region for a possible attack should negotiations with Iran fail. "Either there will be a deal or we will have to resort to very tough measures like last time," Trump was quoted as saying. In view of the obviously increased risk of war, Israeli media had described the meeting between Netanyahu and the US President as groundbreaking.
In recent weeks, the USA has strengthened its military presence in the region with the aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln", among other things. The second aircraft carrier group would join it. According to the Wall Street Journal, other warships, air defense systems and fighter squadrons are also already in the Gulf region.
No date yet for further negotiations
Trump also justifies his actions with the fact that there were mass protests in Iran in January, which were brutally suppressed by the state security apparatus. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu took place a few days after representatives of the USA and Iran began new negotiations in Oman's capital Muscat last week. Trump then held out the prospect of a continuation - although an exact date has not yet been set.
The key question is what happens if the negotiations fail, wrote Israeli Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz on X. "What exactly would Washington want to achieve with a military strike?" Without a "clearly defined political end goal, there is a risk that military action could lead to escalation without a strategic solution," he warned. "Coercion without a realistic prospect of regime capitulation or collapse requires a carefully defined and limited objective." Otherwise, the US risked "a confrontation with an uncertain outcome".
