In a meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump vowed to "knock the hell" out of Iran if they build up their military capacity again. His comments come hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran is at "total war" with the US and Israel.
The meeting between the two leaders occurred at the American president's famous Florida property. It followed separate talks between Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as other Trump advisers, and was initially framed by U.S. and Israeli leaders as an opportunity to strengthen the fragile peace process in Gaza, address the next steps for the ceasefire, and align on shared security priorities.
The warning comes months after a devastating 12-day war in June involving U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military sites, part of a broader effort by Washington and its allies to halt Tehran's nuclear ambitions. In the aftermath, Trump has repeatedly described the strikes as successful in degrading Iran's nuclear capacity, arguing that they have diminished the threat Tehran once posed.
In an interview with state media on Saturday, President Pezeshkian said, "In my opinion, we are in total war with America, Israel, and Europe; they do not want our country to stand on its feet." Since the renewed hostilities this year, Trump has consistently emphasized that the United States will not tolerate a reconstituted Iranian nuclear capability.
In his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump reiterated his ambition to move forward on the "second phase" of the ceasefire agreement, a 20-point plan endorsed by the U.N. Security Council that envisions international oversight of Gaza's reconstruction and demilitarization, restoration of normalcy in the region, and eventual Palestinian governance.
The plan has faced resistance from Netanyahu, who insists certain benchmarks, including returning the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza, are prerequisites to advancing. Gvili's family met with Netanyahu, Rubio, and the administration's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff before the meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
They also commented on matters like the diplomatic relationship between Israel and Syria under its new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, donating $2 billion to the UN for humanitarian aid, and a reported U.S. airstrike on a Venezuelan boat facility. The two leaders also showered each other with praise during the meeting, with Trump saying that Israel "might not exist right now" without Netanyahu, and Netanyahu saying Israel has "never had a friend like President Trump in the White House."
Their comments come days after an Axios report alleging that Netanyahu has "lost" Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as they think the Israeli leader is "slow-walking the peace process," and that President Trump is the only true ally Netanyahu has in the upper echelons of the Trump administration.
