Following his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Iran “must not have nuclear weapons,” adding that this could be achieved by two routes: diplomatically or militarily.
He added that the deal would only be acceptable if it were similar to the one with Libya: “We go in, blow up the facilities, and dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision and execution. That’s the ideal scenario.”
“The second option, which we don’t want, is that they’ll simply drag out the negotiations, and in that case, the military option becomes the only choice.”
However, Iran would be allowed to maintain a civilian nuclear program for electricity generation, such as the Bushehr reactor, even if it must completely dismantle its current nuclear program, including the facilities housing centrifuges and enabling uranium enrichment.
A source familiar with the details of the discussions told The Jerusalem Post: “Trump said Iran will not have nuclear weapons. Military nuclear facilities, no; civilian nuclear, yes.”
“Netanyahu spoke at length about the Libyan model during the meeting with Trump,” an Israeli source told the Post.
The Libyan model refers to the agreement under which Libya dismantled its nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s, during which facilities and structures related to the program were also dismantled.
Israeli sources told the Post that “the chances of the Iranians agreeing to a nuclear deal based on the Libyan model are low.” The sources further noted, “The impression is that Trump is serious about his threats, meaning if there’s no agreement, he will act against the nuclear program with military means.”
Elliott Abrams, who was Trump’s special envoy to Iran during his first term, told the Post, “If Trump is also serious about the possibility of bombing Iran, then it’s useful to have a negotiation, go through it, watch it fail, so that’s your explanation of why you had to use military force.”
Libyan model
That said, it should be noted that Trump maintains ambiguity regarding what he will demand from the Iranians and how far he is willing to go. “If the talks fail, Iran will be in great danger,” Trump said during his meeting with Netanyahu.
Abrams says he thinks Trump should set the Iranians a deadline of 30-60 days to reach a deal. “I do worry that the administration would take a deal somewhat like the JCPOA and declare a victory and say, ‘No, no, no, it’s very different, and this is a much better deal. We’ve solved everything,’” he said. “We need them to agree to stop supporting terrorist proxies. And we need control of the missile program. If that is the US position, then I think Iran will not agree, and the talks will fail”.
On Saturday, American and Iranian delegations will meet in Oman to discuss the nuclear deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will lead the Iranian delegation, while Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, will head the American delegation.
Although Trump stated these would be direct talks, the Iranians clarified that, at least in the first stage, they would be indirect. “This is an opportunity no less than it is a test. The ball is in America’s court,” the Iranian foreign minister said, adding that if the talks progress positively, a face-to-face meeting could be possible.
“I think it’s remarkable that Trump has put all these forces in the region, plus the THAAD [missile defense system] deployment to Israel. That’s a real message to Iran,” Abrams told the Post. “But if Trump concludes that negotiations are going to fail, will he then use force? I think it’s a very real possibility. But it’s the decision of one person: President Trump.”
Gaza and Turkey
The two leaders also discussed Gaza, with Netanyahu confirming, “We are determined to eliminate Hamas, and at the same time, we are committed to bringing back all our hostages.”
Netanyahu on Tuesday quoted Trump as saying that the prime minister “is working all the time to free the hostages,” adding, “I hope this statement puts to rest the false narrative that I’m not working for their release or that I don’t care.”
The prime minister added that the US and Israel are in talks with countries about the possibility of absorbing a large number of Gazans. “That’s the direction things need to go,” said Netanyahu.
He also spoke about Turkey’s attempts to establish military bases in Syria, “which present a danger to Israel.”
“We oppose this and are actively working against it,” he added. “I told President Trump, who is both a friend of mine and a friend of Erdogan’s, ‘If we need your help, we’ll speak to you about it.’”