PM seeks to press Trump on strict red lines over Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missiles, even as US allies in the region push for a lighter deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart Tuesday for Washington ahead of a closed-door meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Israeli officials express growing concern over a potential U.S.-Iran deal they fear could sideline Israel’s strategic interests.

Netanyahu is scheduled to take off from Tel Aviv at noon and land in Washington around 1 a.m. Wednesday, Israel time. The meeting with Trump is set for Wednesday morning at the White House and will be held without media presence, a departure from the leaders’ past encounters, which typically included joint press events and photo ops.

The decision for a private working meeting reportedly came from the White House, contrasting with previous summits, such as their previous meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. That visit featured public remarks and a joint press conference. This time, Netanyahu will be accompanied by a small delegation, including his military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman and acting National Security Adviser Gil Reich.

The absence of media has sparked speculation in Jerusalem that Trump may have agreed to meet Netanyahu out of diplomatic courtesy but wished to avoid the public fanfare of past meetings. One possible reason, Israeli officials say, is to conceal divisions between the two over the shape of a potential agreement with Iran.

Senior Israeli officials have voiced concerns that Trump, under pressure from regional actors including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and his envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, may pursue what they call a “lightweight” nuclear deal—one focused solely on uranium enrichment, without meaningful oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Such a deal, they warn, could “lock in” Israel’s options and make it harder to take independent action against Iran.

“There’s a real concern this is heading toward a deal that’s bad for us,” said one senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s not just Kushner and Witkoff—there are many players influencing Trump, and the direction is worrying.”

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