Trump warns Iran after meeting with Netanyahu on future of Gaza, Middle East – National

American President Donald Trump warned Iran On Monday, the United States could carry out new military strikes if the country tries to reconstitute its nuclear program, while it has held extensive negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his home in Florida.

Trump had previously insisted that Tehran’s nuclear capabilities had been “completely wiped out” by US strikes on key nuclear enrichment sites in June. But with Netanyahu at his side, Trump raised the possibility that suspected activities could take place outside of these sites. At the same time, Israeli officials were quoted in local media expressing concern that Iran was replenishing its supply of long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel.

“Now I hear that Iran is trying to rebuild itself,” Trump told reporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “And if they are, we’ll have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock them out of harm’s way. But I hope that doesn’t happen.”

Trump’s warning to Iran comes as his administration has devoted significant resources to combating drug trafficking in South America and as the president seeks to create new momentum for the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The Gaza deal risks getting bogged down before reaching its complicated second phase which would involve the appointment of an international governing body and the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory.

At a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting, Trump suggested he might order another U.S. strike.

“If this is confirmed, they know the consequences, and they will be very powerful, perhaps more powerful than last time,” Trump said.

Iran has insisted it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to possible negotiations over its atomic program. The two leaders discussed the possibility of taking further military action against Tehran just months after June’s 12-Day War.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s warning.

Trump, with Netanyahu at his side, said he wanted to move to the second phase of the Gaza deal “as quickly as possible.”

“But we must disarm Hamas,” Trump added.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, championed by Trump, has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently. Both sides accuse each other of violations, and divisions have emerged between the United States, Israel and Arab countries over the path forward.

The first phase of the truce began in October, days after the second anniversary of Hamas’s first attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages taken then were released, alive or dead.

The Israeli leader, who also met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, indicated that he was in no rush to move forward with the next phase while Ran Gvili’s remains were still in Gaza.

Gvili’s parents met with Netanyahu as well as Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Florida on Monday.

“They’re waiting for their son to come home,” Trump said of the family of the young police officer affectionately known as “Rani.”

The path to implementing Trump’s peace plan is certainly complicated.

If successful, the second phase would see the reconstruction of a demilitarized Gaza Strip under the international supervision of a group chaired by Trump and known as the Peace Council. The Palestinians would form a “technocratic and apolitical” committee to manage daily affairs in Gaza, under the supervision of the Peace Council.

It further calls for normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible path to Palestinian independence. Then come thorny logistical and humanitarian issues, including the reconstruction of war-ravaged Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the creation of a security apparatus called the International Stabilization Force.

Two main challenges complicated the move to the second phase, according to an official briefed on these meetings. Israeli officials took a long time to review and approve members of the Palestinian technocratic committee from a list given to them by mediators, and Israel continues its military strikes.

Current trend

• Lobster worth $400,000 hijacked en route to Costco, sender says

• Boxer Anthony Joshua injured in car crash that kills 2 in Nigeria

Trump’s plan also calls for the stabilization force, proposed as a multinational body, to maintain security. But he too is not yet constituted. It’s unclear whether details will be released after Monday’s meeting.

A Western diplomat said there is a “huge gap” between the US-Israeli understanding of the force’s mandate and that of other major countries in the region, as well as that of European governments.

All spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that have not been made public.

The United States and Israel want the force to play a “command role” in security tasks, including disarming Hamas and other militant groups. But countries asked to provide troops fear their mandate will turn them into an “occupying force,” the diplomat said.

Hamas has said it is ready to discuss “freezing or stockpiling” its weapons arsenal, but insists it has the right to armed resistance as long as Israel occupies Palestinian territory. A U.S. official said one potential plan could involve offering cash incentives in exchange for weapons, echoing a “buyback” program Witkoff previously launched.

The two leaders, who have enjoyed a long and close relationship, congratulated each other. Trump also criticized the Israeli leader, who at times during the war drew Trump’s ire, for being “very difficult at times.”

Netanyahu said Trump, at the luncheon, was formally informed that his country’s Education Ministry would award him the Israel Prize, breaking the long-standing convention that the honor is given to an Israeli citizen or resident.

“President Trump violated many conventions, to people’s surprise,” Netanyahu said. He added: “So we have decided to also break with one convention or create a new one. »

Trump also renewed his call for Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant a pardon to Netanyahu, who is in the midst of a corruption trial.

Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to face trial, having been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases, accusing him of trading favors with wealthy political supporters.

Trump has already written to Herzog requesting a pardon and argued for one during his October speech to the Knesset. He said Monday that Herzog told him “it’s on the way” without elaborating.

“He is a wartime Prime Minister who is a hero. How can we not grant a pardon?” » Trump said.

Herzog’s office said in a statement that the Israeli president and Trump have not spoken since the pardon request was submitted, but that Herzog spoke with a Trump representative about the US president’s letter seeking a pardon for Netanyahu.

“During this conversation, an explanation was provided regarding the stage of the process that the request is currently at and that any decision on this matter will be made in accordance with established procedures,” the Israeli president’s office said.

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.