Scoop: Trump had "private meeting" with Netanyahu adviser ahead of Mid-East trip
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Ron Dermer (L foreground) with Netanyahu, Trump and Vance in the Oval Office. Photo: Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
President Trump met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday and discussed the nuclear talks with Iran and the war in Gaza, according to two sources briefed on the meeting.
Why it matters: The meeting at the White House, which was not made public by the U.S. or Israel, took place ahead of the fourth round of nuclear talks between the U.S and Iran on Sunday in Muscat and President Trump's trip to the Middle East starting on Monday.
- Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE on this trip but will skip Israel.
Between the lines: The meeting is somewhat unusual in that presidents don't typically meet with foreign officials who are not the head of state or government.
Friction point: It took place two days after Netanyahu and his team were blindsided by Trump's announcement of a truce with the Houthis, exposing the gaps in trust and coordination between the administrations.
- The announcement came shortly after Israel had carried out strikes on a major port and airport in Yemen in response to a Houthi attack on Tel Aviv's international airport. The Israelis were alarmed that Trump's ceasefire didn't apply to attacks on Israel.
- "We were shocked that the Trump administration didn't tell us anything and we learned about it from the television," one Israeli official told Axios.
- The episode raised concerns about the likely limits of Israel's influence on the U.S. approach to nuclear talks with Iran. Netanyahu is skeptical of diplomacy and wants Trump to consider a military option.
Behind the scenes: Dermer met Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and expressed the Israeli concerns, a source with knowledge said.
- On Thursday Dermer had several meetings in the White House including one with Trump.
- Vice President Vance, Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff also attended the meeting, according to one source.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump met Dermer and said it was a "private meeting."
What's next: Witkoff and his team are expected to hold another round of nuclear talks with Iran on Sunday in Oman, according to two sources with knowledge.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will head the Iranian delegation.
- Trump reiterated Thursday that he's trying to work out a nuclear deal with Iran without having to use military force.
What to watch: Israel has set the end of Trump's trip as the deadline for a new hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza and is threatening a massive operation to flatten and occupy the enclave and displace its entire population if no deal is reached.
- Witkoff has been working in recent days with Qatari and Egyptian mediators to press Hamas to agree to release some hostages in return for a temporary ceasefire, but the group continues to insist that Israel agree to end the war in exchange for the release of all hostages.
