Netanyahu says no new evidence Iran's nuclear ability is destroyed, but warns Tehran could rebuild. Trump weighs diplomacy vs. force as Hormuz talks continue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to press President Donald Trump in their meeting Tuesday to keep a “constant, constant watch” on Iran’s nuclear program, even as he said he has no new evidence that Tehran’s ability to build a weapon has been destroyed.
“Our intel services and yours are working so close together that it’s not that I’m going to present new information, I think it’s a good thing to have the opportunity to sit with our good friend President Trump and to hear what he has in mind, because I think in many ways it’s his decision,” Netanyahu told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
Trump and the US military have remained largely quiet over the weekend about the pause on nearly two weeks of escalating strikes against Iran. UN Ambassador Mike Waltz said on NBC that Trump was giving space for negotiations to proceed.
The Islamic Republic held talks with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy chokepoint that has been a central point of contention since the US and Israel launched attacks in late February. Iran’s army on Sunday said it too had halted its retaliatory attacks.
Netanyahu said the US and Israel had set back Iran’s nuclear capabilities “a good few years.” He cautioned that Tehran could still try to reconstruct what has been destroyed.
“Yes, we pushed it back, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have the attempt to restore it,” Netanyahu said. “And we have to be on the constant, constant watch so it doesn’t happen.”
Trump, who has grown increasingly frustrated with Iran for refusing to reopen Hormuz, said Friday the US is “locked and loaded” for major strikes on Iran. He suggested he would wait for diplomatic talks to play out.
The US president has consistently said “he prefers a diplomatic solution, he continues to retain all options if Iran continues terrorist activities in the Strait of Hormuz or against allies,” White House spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. It would be “wise for Iran to work toward a negotiated deal,” he said.
Drafted by a large language model from the source reporting linked above, then screened by automated publishing checks. It is not read by a journalist before publication. Some articles cite our Alpha Score. Verify prices and figures against the original source. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.