US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed all possible ways to limit Iran's nuclear program during their meeting. Among them are diplomacy, economic pressure, and the use of force. This was reported by "Reuters", citing a senior Israeli official.
He made this statement during a briefing with journalists after the meeting of the two leaders at the White House on Tuesday.
According to him, Netanyahu did not tell Trump that Israel's preference at this stage was to launch new strikes on Iran.
"Ultimately, the decision is his," the official said, referring to Trump.
According to him, the American president has three options, and all of them have been discussed in detail: "an agreement (through negotiations), continuation of the blockade and economic pressure, and a large-scale military strike". Netanyahu also offered some new ideas, without specifying them.
Before the meeting, Trump expressed irritation with Netanyahu after information appeared in the public domain that the Israeli prime minister intended to discuss new intelligence data on the "Pickaxe Mountain" site - a deep underground site linked to Iran's nuclear program, which Trump has threatened to bomb.
Rejecting allegations of tension between the two leaders on this issue, the Israeli representative said that the allies exchange intelligence information without hindrance, denied that Netanyahu had insisted that Trump increase the military escalation against Iran and left open the possibility of a diplomatic solution.
At the same time, he acknowledged that in the conflict with Iran, Trump is the "senior partner" and Netanyahu is the "junior partner" in the alliance between the two countries.
According to the Israeli representative, the biggest threat to Israel remains Iran's nuclear program and the country wants guarantees that Tehran will never acquire a nuclear weapon. Iran, for its part, insists that it is not seeking to create a nuclear bomb.
On Wednesday, the United States and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Iranian-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq, and Trump threatened to "totally crush Iran" over the shelling of American troops, which took place several days after he stopped airstrikes.
Iran confirmed overnight that it had attacked American bases in Jordan and ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran also rejected an Omani proposal for joint management of the strait.