JERUSALEM, : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, post his dinner with US President Donald Trump in Washington, said that the country expects further weapons shipments from the Pentagon in the future. While the Israeli PM maintained that revival in Iranian aggression was unlikely for some time at least, Jerusalem is preparing for such an eventuality.
Both leaders lauded the Israeli and American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last month, saying the campaign was a major success, though they acknowledged the possibility that hostilities could restart if Iran does not want to keep the peace, reports Times of Israel.
As per Axios, Netanyahu’s top adviser, Ron Dermer in his meeting last week with US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff in Washington, came back with the impression that the Trump administration would back new Israeli strikes on Iran under certain circumstances.
These include attempts to move the highly enriched stockpile of uranium inside the damaged facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, attempts at rebuilding its facilities and restart its enrichment of uranium.
The Israeli PM’s statement, further backed by Dermer’s meeting earlier further validates his claim. However, the matter was kept largely behind curtains with very little details being given by officials.
Netanyahu and Dermer also met Witkoff and Rubio yesterday, shortly before they sat down for a dinner in the White House with Trump.
Speaking to reporters as the top officials sat down for the dinner, Witkoff said the first round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran following the 12-day war would take place “in the next week or so,” though neither he nor Trump gave a specific date or a location.
“We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to talk,” Trump said, adding that Iran had taken a “big drubbing.”
Asked whether the talks would be about moving forward, Trump acknowledged that he didn’t completely see a purpose for them, given his belief that Tehran’s nuclear program has been “obliterated,” an assertion he reiterated to reporters.
“But (the Iranians) requested a meeting, and I’m going to go to a meeting, and if we can put something down on paper, that will be fine,” he said.
Responding to a question whether the Israel-Iran war was over, Trump said “I hope it’s over,” adding “I think (the Iranians) want to make peace and I’m all for it. Now, if that’s not the case, we are ready, willing, and able. But I don’t think we’re going to have to be.”
