Netanyahu departs for Washington ahead of urgent Trump meeting

Netanyahu intends to present Trump with Israel’s principles for any agreement with Tehran.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Israel for Washington on Monday for a high-stakes diplomatic visit with U.S. President Donald Trump, a trip announced only over the weekend amid escalating tensions surrounding negotiations with Iran.

Speaking briefly before boarding at Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said the talks would focus on Gaza, broader regional developments, and “above all” the negotiations with Iran.

He said he intends to present Trump with Israel’s principles for any agreement with Tehran, stressing that they are “important not only for Israel, but for all those who seek peace and security in the Middle East and around the world.”

“This is my seventh visit to the United States to meet President Trump since he began his second term,” Netanyahu said, pointing to what he described as an unprecedented closeness between the two countries and between the two leaders.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who is joining the delegation aboard the Wing of Zion aircraft for the second time, said he is not aware of any significant gaps between Israel and the United States regarding demands from Iran in a future agreement.

Asked what it meant to be flying on Israel’s official aircraft, Huckabee quipped that it meant “I’ll get to the United States faster.”

Netanyahu did not take questions from reporters before departure and did not respond to a question from Kan News on whether he would support any agreement Trump may reach with Iran.

Joining the prime minister on the trip are his military secretary, Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman; acting National Security Council head Gil Reich; NSC official Yosef Draznin; and spokesman Ziv Agmon, who is expected to assume the role of chief of staff.

According to Kan News, Netanyahu is expected to again present Trump with intelligence indicating renewed Iranian efforts to rehabilitate its ballistic missile program.

U.S. officials cited in the report believe Netanyahu favors keeping a military option against Iran on the table and may seek to advance that position during the visit.

Aside from the expected Trump-Netanyahu meeting on Wednesday evening, no additional meetings appear on the prime minister’s public schedule.

The trip comes against the backdrop of sharp rhetoric from Tehran. Ahead of Netanyahu’s departure, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused the United States of yielding to Israeli pressure in the negotiations and warned that any military attack on Iran would trigger a “deterrent and painful” response.

With negotiations underway, threats escalating, and the trip announced on unusually short notice, the Washington meetings come at a decisive moment that could determine whether the Iran standoff moves toward containment or spirals toward a broader regional confrontation.