Trump Told Netanyahu: US Will Support Israeli Strike on Iran if Negotiations Fail
United States President Donald Trump reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would support an Israeli strike against Iran’s missile programme if negotiations with Tehran fail to reach an agreement.
The information was reported by prominent US media outlet CBS News, citing two anonymous sources familiar with US national security matters, as carried by Anadolu Agency on Monday (16/2/2026).
The two sources cited by CBS News revealed that Trump’s statement to Netanyahu was made during a meeting between the two leaders at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in December last year. The information was only made public recently as the US resumed nuclear negotiations with Iran.
“President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in December that the president would support an Israeli strike on Iran’s ballistic missile programme if a deal between Washington and Tehran could not be reached,” CBS News reported on Sunday (15/2) local time.
According to several other sources cited by CBS News, two months later, discussions among senior US military and intelligence community officials had shifted from whether Israel could launch a strike against Iran to how Washington could facilitate Tel Aviv’s mission through technical and diplomatic means.
Key elements of the proposed cooperation, according to the CBS News report, include mid-air refuelling for Israeli aircraft to extend their operational range and the complex task of securing overflight permissions from sovereign nations surrounding Iran.
It remains unclear which countries would grant overflight permission for the US to refuel Israeli aircraft for a potential strike against Iran.
Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have publicly affirmed that they would not allow their airspace to be used for any strikes against Iran or Iranian strikes against any nation.
The CBS News report emerged as the US significantly increased its military presence in the region, deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and planning to send the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the area as well.
Trump announced on Friday (13/2) that the USS Gerald R. Ford would soon move towards the region if negotiations between the US and Iran fail.
“If we don’t reach a deal, we’re going to need it. That aircraft carrier will be leaving soon,” he said.
The second round of nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran is scheduled for Tuesday (17/2) in Geneva, Switzerland. The talks will be held indirectly, with Oman acting as mediator.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday (15/2) that Trump “prefers diplomacy” regarding Iran.