\u201cWe have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,\u201d Trump told Axios, adding that he was \u201cthinking\u201d about sending another aircraft-carrier strike group.<\/p>\n
\u201cEither we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,\u201d Trump said. He added that he expected a second round of US-Iran talks to take place next week.<\/p>\n
Trump said Iran \u201cwants to make a deal very badly\u201d unlike in June before the US bombed its nuclear-enrichment facilities. \u201cLast time they didn\u2019t believe I would do it, they overplayed their hand,\u201d Trump said. This time talks were \u201cvery different\u201d and \u201cwe can make a great deal with Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump said he did not think Netanyahu was nervous about US-Iran negotiations. \u201cHe also wants a deal. He wants a good deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before boarding his flight, Netanyahu said he would \u201cpresent to the president our approach around our principles on the negotiations\u201d, adding that this was important not only for Israel, but for every country around the world \u201cthat wants peace and security\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump has assembled a large US fleet within striking distance of Iran but had softened his tone in recent days, leading Iranian anti-regime campaigners to feel this was an occasion when the acronym Taco \u2014 \u201cTrump Always Chickens Out\u201d \u2014 applied. <\/p>\n
Originally coined to describe Trump\u2019s retreat from high trade tariffs last year, his threat of dire consequences for Iran\u2019s leadership for killing opponents has not materialised, and the momentum of January\u2019s street protests seemed lost.<\/p>\n
![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/90e8deb7-a4d2-4acb-b1c1-1fabc4749b80.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The expedited meeting demonstrates Trump\u2019s responsiveness to Netanyahu<\/p>\n
REUTERS\/JONATHAN ERNST<\/p>\n
Trump remains unpredictable and may not have made up his mind how to act, although US officials have been briefing that he is not convinced about the merits of another attack on Iran<\/a>, despite posting in mid-January that \u201cHELP IS ON ITS WAY\u201d for protesters on the streets.<\/p>\n \u201cThe prime minister believes that all negotiations<\/a> must include limiting the ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis,\u201d Netanyahu\u2019s office said on Saturday, referring to Tehran\u2019s support for militant groups including Hezbollah and Hamas.<\/p>\n \u2022 Iran and the US: this is geopolitical poker at its most dangerous<\/a><\/p>\n The expedited meeting demonstrates Trump\u2019s responsiveness to Netanyahu, whom he bolstered with the US bombing of Iran\u2019s nuclear enrichment facilities last June. Recent satellite footage shows that the entrances to the country\u2019s largest underground research site, at Isfahan, have been buried in soil, apparently as a precaution against another attack. <\/p>\n A satellite image of the site at Isfahan<\/p>\n The US president also assisted directly with an appeal to President Herzog of Israel to issue a pardon to the prime minister for long-standing corruption charges over which Netanyahu is still regularly appearing in court. Trump\u2019s backing for clemency led Netanyahu to apply formally for a pardon<\/a> in November but Israeli law first requires proof or admission of guilt, and the prime minister has steadfastly denied all charges.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, the Israeli president is considering the pardon request by using his authority to commute the charges. Herzog believes the trial has had a \u201cvery negative\u201d impact on the judicial system and the public at large and is thought to be seeking a solution to end the crisis.<\/p>\n Every visit to Washington is an opportunity for Netanyahu to show his personal chemistry with Trump but behind the scenes, a conflict over the US Board of Peace<\/a> is complicating relations.<\/p>\n Israel is unhappy about Trump\u2019s inclusion of Qatar and Turkey on the Gaza executive board as a reward for their help in wider geopolitical moves, including the new regime in Syria and talks with Russia. This position gives Qatar and Turkey a more hands-on role in redeveloping the ruined Gaza Strip than the Israeli government wanted, meaning that the Washington visit is as much about trying to gain more control over the Gaza process as influencing US talks with Iran.<\/p>\n \u2022 UK sends jets to Cyprus as fears grow of US attack on Iran<\/a><\/p>\n The urgency to push Israel\u2019s interests increased when Trump announced that the first meeting of his Board of Peace would take place on February 19. Netanyahu<\/a> needs to repair a slight caused by his refusal, reported by Axios, to allow Herzog to attend the inaugural session of the board in Davos last month.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, left, meeting his Omani counterpart last week<\/p>\n OMANI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS\/UPI\/SHUTTERSTOCK<\/p>\n![\"Satellite](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/8aac3175-34d8-4279-ae37-f09b5bb4727f.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Iranian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/03639dcf-54bc-44f8-adac-a79397dc5d35.jpg\")
<\/p>\n