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"Trump said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and we fully agree with that,” Netanyahu told The Jerusalem Post.
By AMICHAI STEIN FEBRUARY 5, 2025 18:52 Updated: FEBRUARY 5, 2025 18:57
US President Donald Trump and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu walk together during Netanyahu's visit to Washington, February 5, 2025
(photo credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday during his visit to Washington, praising US President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, which the president restored on Tuesday.
The remarks to the Post came as Netanyahu visits the US for meetings with Trump, along with other US officials.
Netanyahu told the Post that Trump's belief in the need to reach a deal with Iran was "the pivot of everything that we're talking about."
"I think the president just said something that I think is the pivot of everything that we're talking about. He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and we fully agree with that,” Netanyahu said.
When asked about Trump's perspective on engaging with Iran, Netanyahu highlighted the ultimate objective of the fundamental agreement between the two leaders.
While different strategies could be considered, the focus must remain on the overarching goal of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, the prime minister said.
“If this goal can be achieved by a maximum pressure campaign, then it should be pursued. But I think the most important thing is to focus on the goal, which the president just did, and I fully agree with it," Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu has long advocated for a tough stance on Iran, opposing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018.
Trump's statements on the best course of action
Netanyahu's comments to the Post came following Trump's earlier statements, in which he reaffirmed his belief that a pressure campaign was the best course of action to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough without resorting to military conflict.
"It’s a campaign of pressure to see if we can get something done,” Trump stated.
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Trump also acknowledged the difficulties of negotiating with Iran but suggested that diplomatic solutions should not be ruled out.
“He [Netanyahu] doesn’t want to do what some people think will automatically happen because they’re very difficult people to deal with, as you know. But if we could solve this problem without warfare, without all of the things that you’ve been witnessing over the last number of years, it would be, I think, a tremendous thing," Trump said.
Trump reimposes US policy on Iran
Trump signed the presidential memorandum reimposing the US policy on Iran on Tuesday. The policy had been practiced throughout his first term, and it included efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
As he signed the memo, Trump described it as a very tough decision to make. He said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and he hopes that a deal can be worked out with Tehran.
Trump added that Iran "would be obliterated" in a scenario where the country would try to kill him in retaliation.
However, Trump also said he would be willing to meet with his Iranian counterpart to try to persuade Iran to give up what the United States believes are Tehran's efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.
Trump has accused former president Joe Biden of failing to rigorously enforce oil-export sanctions, which Trump says emboldened Tehran by allowing it to sell oil to fund a nuclear weapons program and armed terrorists in the Middle East.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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