{"id":211241,"date":"2025-12-30T10:37:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/211241\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T10:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:37:09","slug":"trump-warns-iran-on-nuclear-program-as-netanyahu-visits-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/211241\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump warns Iran on nuclear program as Netanyahu visits Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> warned Iran on Monday that the U.S. could carry out further military strikes if the country attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program as he held wide-ranging talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> at his home in Florida.<\/p>\n

Trump had previously insisted that Tehran\u2019s nuclear capabilities were \u201ccompletely and fully obliterated\u201d by U.S. strikes on key nuclear enrichment sites<\/a> in June. But with Netanyahu by his side, Trump raised the possibility that suspected activity could be taking place outside those sites. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have been quoted in local media expressing concern about Iran rebuilding its supply of long-range missiles capable of striking Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,\u201d Trump told reporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago estate. \u201cAnd if they are, we\u2019re going to have to knock them down. We\u2019ll knock them down. We\u2019ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that\u2019s not happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump speaks before a luncheon with Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump speaks before a luncheon with Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

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Trump\u2019s warning to Iran comes as his administration has committed significant resources to targeting drug trafficking in South America and the president looks to create fresh momentum for the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The Gaza deal is in danger of stalling before reaching its complicated second phase that would involve naming an international governing body and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n

At a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting, Trump suggested that he could order another U.S. strike. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Iran has insisted that it is no longer enriching uranium<\/a> at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program. The two leaders discussed the possibility of taking new military action against Tehran just months after June\u2019s 12-day war.<\/p>\n

The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump speaks as Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump speaks as Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

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Gaza ceasefire progress has slowed<\/p>\n

Trump, with Netanyahu by his side, said he wants to get to the second phase of the Gaza deal \u201cas quickly as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there has to be a disarming of Hamas,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas<\/a> that Trump championed has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently. Both sides accuse each other of violations<\/a>, and divisions have emerged among the U.S., Israel and Arab countries about the path forward. <\/p>\n

The truce\u2019s first phase began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages<\/a> taken then have been released, alive or dead<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The Israeli leader, who also met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has signaled he is in no rush to move forward with the next phase as long as the remains of Ran Gvili<\/a> are still in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Gvili\u2019s parents met with Netanyahu as well as Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the president\u2019s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Florida on Monday. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re waiting for their son to come home,\u201d Trump said of the family of the young police officer<\/a> known affectionately as \u201cRani.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Israel's<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens as President Donald Trump speaks before a luncheon at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens as President Donald Trump speaks before a luncheon at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

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Next phase is complex<\/p>\n

The path to implementing Trump\u2019s peace plan is certainly complicated.<\/p>\n

If successful, the second phase would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision by a group chaired by Trump and known as the Board of Peace. The Palestinians would form a \u201ctechnocratic, apolitical\u201d committee to run daily affairs in Gaza, under Board of Peace supervision.<\/p>\n

It further calls for normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible pathway to Palestinian independence. Then there are thorny logistical and humanitarian questions, including rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza, disarming Hamas and creating a security apparatus called the International Stabilization Force<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Much remains unsettled<\/p>\n

Two main challenges have complicated moving to the second phase, according to an official who was briefed on those meetings. Israeli officials have been taking a lot of time to vet and approve members of the Palestinian technocratic committee from a list given to them by the mediators, and Israel continues its military strikes.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s plan also calls for the stabilization force, proposed as a multinational body, to maintain security. But it, too, has yet to be formed. Whether details will be forthcoming after Monday\u2019s meeting is unclear. <\/p>\n

A Western diplomat said there is a \u201chuge gulf\u201d between the U.S.-Israeli understanding of the force\u2019s mandate and that of other major countries in the region, as well as European governments. <\/p>\n

All spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that haven\u2019t been made public.<\/p>\n

The U.S. and Israel want the force to have a \u201ccommanding role\u201d in security duties, including disarming Hamas and other militant groups. But countries being courted to contribute troops fear that mandate will make it an \u201coccupation force,\u201d the diplomat said.<\/p>\n

Hamas has said it is ready to discuss \u201cfreezing or storing\u201d its arsenal of weapons but insists it has a right to armed resistance as long as Israel occupies Palestinian territory. One U.S. official said a potential plan might be to offer cash incentives in exchange for weapons, echoing a \u201cbuyback\u201d program Witkoff has previously floated.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump and Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seated before a luncheon at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump and Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seated before a luncheon at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

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Trump makes case once again for Netanyahu pardon<\/p>\n

The two leaders, who have a long and close relationship, heaped praise on each other. Trump also tweaked the Israeli leader, who at moments during the war has raised Trump\u2019s ire, for being \u201cvery difficult on occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netanyahu said Trump during the lunch was formally told that his country\u2019s education ministry will award him the Israel Prize, breaking the long-held convention of bestowing the honor on an Israeli citizen or resident.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump has broken so many conventions to the surprise of people,\u201d Netanyahu said. He added, \u201cSo we decided to break a convention too, or create a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump also renewed his call<\/a> on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu, who is in the midst of a corruption trial, a pardon.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes<\/a> in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.<\/p>\n

Trump has previously written to Herzog to urge a pardon and advocated for one during his October speech before the Knesset. He said Monday that Herzog has told him \u201cit\u2019s on its way\u201d without offering further details.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a wartime prime minister who\u2019s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Herzog\u2019s office said in a statement that the Israeli president and Trump have not spoken since the pardon request was submitted, but that Herzog has spoken with a Trump representative about the U.S. president\u2019s letter advocating for Netanyahu\u2019s pardon.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring that conversation, an explanation was provided regarding the stage of the process in which the request currently stands, and that any decision on the matter will be made in accordance with the established procedures,\u201d the Israeli president\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

___ <\/p>\n

Mednick reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations, and Lee Keath and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump warned Iran on Monday that the U.S. could carry out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[120,2035,49,54,32484,1210,122,51,85,119,87,20889,2894,46,1984,61,45061,20893,83176,11741,2034,43,8717,31348,238,7313,3336,121,12526,126],"class_list":["post-211241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-2024-2025-mideast-wars","tag-ap-top-news","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-donald-trump","tag-fl-state-wire","tag-florida","tag-general-news","tag-hamas","tag-il","tag-international-agreements","tag-iran","tag-iran-government","tag-isaac-herzog","tag-israel","tag-israel-government","tag-israel-hamas-war","tag-jared-kushner","tag-law-and-order","tag-local-news-for-apple","tag-marco-rubio","tag-mideast-wars","tag-news","tag-nuclear-weapons","tag-pete-hegseth","tag-politics","tag-steve-witkoff","tag-tehran","tag-war-and-unrest","tag-washington-news","tag-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}