President Donald Trump hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a private White House dinner on July 7 as the Israeli leader began a visit to Washington where he will meet US officials on the conflict in Gaza and Trump's diplomatic efforts with Iran in the wake of the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites.
Trump, who spoke with reporters as he, Netanyahu, and other US and Israeli officials gathered for the dinner, said he has agreed to an Iranian request to meet with US officials.
“We have scheduled Iran talks, and...They want to talk,” Trump said.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, who attended the dinner with Trump and Netanyahu, said the meeting would take place soon, perhaps in a week. Netanyahu met earlier with Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He plans to visit the US Capitol on July 8 to see congressional leaders, as well as Vice President JD Vance.
Trump said he is looking for a "permanent deal" with Iran and said he would like to lift US sanctions on the country at some point.
Trump also voiced confidence that Hamas was willing to end the conflict with Israel, saying he thinks "things are going along very well" in response to a question about what was preventing a peace deal for Gaza.
Netanyahu said the United States and Israel were working with other countries that would give Palestinians a "better future," suggesting that the residents of Gaza could move to neighboring nations.
Trump and Netanyahu met while Israeli officials held indirect negotiations with Hamas, which is backed by Iran, aimed at securing a US-brokered Gaza cease-fire and hostage-release deal.
Last month, the United States joined Israel in bombing three key Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump claims were “obliterated.” Tehran acknowledges the strikes caused significant damage, but it has vowed to press on with its nuclear program, especially its enrichment activities.
The Trump-Netanyahu meeting is seen as a victory lap for both leaders after what they describe as a significant setback for Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Netanyahu even said he has nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting peace efforts in multiple regions.
Israel launched its attack on Iran on June 13, just two days before Tehran and Washington were scheduled to hold a sixth round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump brokered a cease-fire shortly after joining Israel in bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. While Trump has sent mixed signals about whether there is any point in striking a deal with Iran now given the state of its nuclear program. Sources told RFE/RL that a new round of talks will be held in Oslo, Norway, on July 10.
Trump has not elaborated on what a permanent deal might entail, but it suggests a shift from crisis management to a longer-term strategy: securing a comprehensive agreement that addresses Iran’s nuclear ambitions, regional activities, and the broader security architecture of the Middle East.
Iran has not publicly commented on whether a new round of talks will be held, but Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian told US media personality Tucker Carlson that his country can “very easily resolve differences” with the United States through diplomacy.
He also accused Netanyahu of “torpedoing” diplomacy by launching strikes on Iran “in the middle of talks with the United States.”
Pezeshkian said there was a lack of trust in Washington and that Tehran needs assurances that Israel “will not be given permission again to attack us.”
Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the United States resuming talks with Iran, but he has consistently taken a hard-line stance against diplomacy with Tehran, emphasizing military deterrence over diplomatic engagement.
The Israeli prime minister has advocated for a "Libya-style agreement," which would involve the dismantling of Iran’s entire nuclear program -- a nonstarter for Tehran.
New Satellite Images Show Activity At Iran's Fordow Nuclear Site 1 Week After US Bombings
Former US national security adviser John Bolton says Netanyahu will likely convey to Trump that Iran’s nuclear program can still be a threat.
“I think certainly the Israeli view is going to be that the Iranian nuclear program has been very severely damaged, but it can be reconstructed and remains a threat,” he told RFE/RL in an interview on July 7.
“That is something that for Israel is obviously existential.”
With Iran’s nuclear program damaged but not dismantled, and diplomacy hanging in the balance, Trump may see an opening to shift the dynamic. Having backed Netanyahu militarily by joining the strikes on Iran -- something Netanyahu has long pushed for -- Trump could now press for diplomatic space in return.
After delivering on Netanyahu’s terms, he may argue that it’s time for Israel to support a deal that serves his own.
