Trump: Netanyahu ‘wants a good deal’ with Iran, says nuclear talks this time ‘are different’

US President Donald Trump (right) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave at the conclusion of a joint press conference at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)
US President Donald Trump (right) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave at the conclusion of a joint press conference at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

On the eve of his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump tells an Israeli reporter that the Israeli premier “wants a deal” with Iran, and says nuclear talks this time show promise.

“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it,” Trump tells Barak Ravid, a reporter with both Israel’s Channel 12 and the Axios news site, about the American strikes in June 2025 on Iran’s nuclear sites just days after the collapse of diplomatic negotiations.

“They overplayed their hand,” says Trump. This time around, the negotiations are “very different,” he adds. “We can make a great deal with Iran.”

The US president avers that Netanyahu is not against the current US-Iran talks, which included a high-level meeting over the weekend in Oman: “He also wants a deal. He wants a good deal.”

Iran, Trump says, also “wants to make a deal very badly.”

But Trump tells Ravid that the US isn’t afraid to play tough: “Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time.”

The US president says that “we have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” adding that he is “thinking” of sending another aircraft carrier strike group, after boosting the US military presence in the region in recent weeks.

Most Popular
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.