The US and Israel are set to convene a strategic conference on Iran’s nuclear program as President Donald Trump strengthened his maximum pressure campaign in Tehran.
The sanctions campaign arises as Axios reports that Israel and the US are preparing to meet to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have already met at the White House to discuss Iran. This particular working group was established during the Obama administration in 2009.
Next week’s US-Israel meeting in Washington will include Netanyahu’s top advisor, Strategic Issues Minister Ron Dahmer and National Security Advisor Tsach Hanebbie.
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz will be present on the US side along with officials from the State Department, the Pentagon and the US Intelligence Reporting Community.
The relationship between the Obama administration and Netanyahu government was plagued by tensions over the 2015 nuclear deal. This addressed Netanyahu to Congress, where Obama’s diplomacy with Iran.
In Iran, Trump positions himself as a hardliner.
Trump says he wants a new nuclear deal. In March, he wrote to Iranian leader Ayatollah Alikhamenei to reveal that he had called for consultation.
“There are two ways to deal with Iran: military, or you make a deal,” Trump said. “I prefer to make a deal because I’m not trying to hurt Iran. They’re amazing people.”
Axios reported Friday that Trump’s letter had set a “two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear deal.”
Speaking on his live televised speech, Nowruz, Persian New Year on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the US threat to his country “doesn’t go anywhere.”
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araguchi said the letter was “more threatening” but it appears to offer an opportunity.
Araguchi added that Tehran is weighing its response. This will be published in the next few days.
So far, Trump’s diplomacy has given me a bit of confidence in the benefits of Iran starting his speech.