US President Donald Trump has held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss renewed US nuclear talks with Iran and says he told the Israeli leader that negotiations will continue to see if a deal can be reached.
Netanyahu had been expected to push for Trump to widen talks with Iran beyond its nuclear program to include limits on its missile arsenal and other security threats.
In their seventh meeting since Trump returned to office last year, Netanyahu - whose visit was more muted than usual and closed to the press - was looking to influence the next round of US discussions with Iran following nuclear negotiations held in Oman last Friday.
The two leaders met for nearly three hours.
Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if no agreement is reached while Iran has vowed to retaliate, stoking fears of a wider war.
He has repeatedly voiced support for a secure Israel, a longstanding US ally and arch-foe of Iran.
In media interviews on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his warning, saying that while he believes Iran wants a deal, he would do "something very tough" if it refused.
"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated," Trump said in a social media post after the meeting with Netanyahu.
"If it can, I let the prime minister know that will be a preference."
Trump told Fox Business in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that a good deal with Iran would mean "no nuclear weapons, no missiles," without elaborating.
He also told Axios he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of a major US millitary buildup near Iran.
Israel fears that US officials might pursue a narrow nuclear deal that does not include restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program or an end to Iranian support for armed proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah, according to people familiar with the matter.
Israeli officials have urged the US not to trust Iran's promises.
Iran has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions but has ruled out linking the issue to missiles.
"The Islamic Republic's missile capabilities are non-negotiable," Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said on Wednesday.
