While the Gaza conflict is expected to headline the conversation when President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on July 7, it is the Iran question that looms largest over the meeting.
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. However, the focus has now shifted from military operations to diplomatic efforts — at least for Trump.
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 said he will speak with Netanyahu about a “permanent deal with Iran.”
While he has not elaborated on what such a deal might entail, it does suggest 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 non-starter for Tehran.
New Satellite Images Show Activity At Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Site 1 Week After US Bombings
New Maxar satellite images, taken on June 29, show cranes and people working at the Fordow enrichment complex following US and Israeli air strikes. Vehicles can also seen below a ridge and are parked along a path that was built to access the site.
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.
