Overview
- After a nearly three-hour, closed-door White House meeting, no joint statement was issued and Trump said he insisted that negotiations with Iran continue.
- Trump warned that if talks fail the U.S. could act militarily, invoking last year’s ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
- The Pentagon has instructed a second carrier strike group to prepare for potential Middle East deployment, the Wall Street Journal reported, to reinforce the USS Abraham Lincoln.
- Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s security priorities, urging any agreement to include limits on ballistic missiles and Iran-backed proxies, and expressed skepticism about reaching an acceptable deal.
- Iranian officials signaled willingness to accommodate nuclear inspections yet reiterated that the missile program is non-negotiable, as Oman-mediated contacts proceed without a set agreement.