Returning to Israel, PM says Trump sees possible ‘good deal’ with Iran, but he’s skeptical

Before boarding Wing of Zion to fly back to Israel after meeting US President Donald Trump yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the US president believes the Iranians could be forced to accept “a good deal.”

“I have just concluded a short but important visit to Washington, during which I spoke with our great friend, President Trump,” says Netanyahu on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “We have a close, genuine, and open relationship.”

Netanyahu says that the talks focused on Iran but also covered other issues.

“The president believes the Iranians already understand who they are dealing with,” he says. “[Trump] thinks the conditions he is setting, combined with their understanding that they made a mistake last time by not reaching an agreement, could lead them to accept terms that would make it possible to achieve a good deal.”

The prime minister says that he himself does “not hide my general skepticism about the possibility of reaching any agreement with Iran.”

He says that he made it clear to the White House that any agreement “must include the components that are important to us, to Israel, and in my view also to the entire international community — not only the nuclear issue, but also ballistic missiles and Iran’s regional proxies.”

The “excellent conversation” also dealt with Gaza, says Netanyahu.

“This was another conversation with a great friend of Israel — a president like no other.”