Trump warns Iran on nuclear revival as he hosts Israel’s Netanyahu
The warning comes after the US president insisted that Tehran’s nuclear capabilities were ‘completely and fully obliterated’ by US strikes.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against reconstituting its nuclear programme as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his home in Florida for wide-ranging talks.
The warning comes after Mr Trump has insisted that Tehran’s nuclear capabilities were “completely and fully obliterated” by US strikes on key nuclear enrichment sites in June.
But Israeli officials have been quoted in local media expressing concern about Iran rebuilding its supply of long-range missiles capable of striking Israel.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Mr Trump told reporters soon after Mr Netanyahu arrived at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down.
“We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”
Iran has insisted that it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic programme.
But Mr Netanyahu was expected to discuss with Mr Trump the need to potentially take new military action against Tehran just months after launching a 12-day war on Iran.
Mr Trump criticised Iran anew for not making a deal to completely disarm its nuclear programme ahead of the US and Israeli strikes earlier this year.
“They wish they made that deal,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Netanyahu’s visit also comes at another critical moment in Gaza as Mr Trump looks to create fresh momentum for the US-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire that is in danger of stalling before reaching the complicated second phase of the agreement.
Mr Trump, with Mr Netanyahu by his side, said he wants to get to the second phase “as quickly as we can”.
“But there has to be a disarming of Hamas,” Mr Trump added.
Before his talks with Mr Trump, Mr Netanyahu met separately with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that Mr Trump championed has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently.
Both sides accuse each other of violations, and divisions have emerged among the US, Israel and Arab countries about the path forward.
The truce’s first phase began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
All but one of the 251 hostages taken then have been released, alive or dead.
The Israeli leader has signalled he is in no rush to move forward with the next phase as long as the remains of Ran Gvili are still in Gaza.
Mr Gvili’s parents met with Mr Netanyahu as well as Mr Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Florida on Monday.
The Gvilis are expected to meet with Mr Trump later in the day, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group that advocates for families of abductees of the October 7 2023 attack.
“They’re waiting for their son to come home,” Mr Trump said of the family of the young police officer known affectionately as “Rani”.
The family, according to the group, is looking “to ensure there will be no transition to Phase 2 of the agreement until Hamas fulfils its Phase 1 commitments and returns Ran home”.
Trump’s 20-point plan — which was approved by the UN Security Council — lays out an ambitious vision for ending Hamas’ rule of Gaza.
