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Trump meets Israeli Minister Dermer: Iranian nuclear deal and Gaza on the table

Confidential talks at the White House on the eve of negotiations with Tehran and the presidential trip to the Middle East

A closed-door meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer took place yesterday at the White House. According to a report by journalist Barak Ravid on Axios, citing two informed sources, the two mainly discussed the Iranian nuclear issue and the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

The talks, not made public either by Washington or Tel Aviv, took place on the eve of the fourth round of talks between the US and Iran on the nuclear programme, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, Oman. Also in the background is Trump’s upcoming trip to the Middle East, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Monday.

The meeting between a sitting president and a foreign minister not of equal rank is considered unusual by diplomats, as Axios points out. Dermer’s visit takes on added significance in light of Trump’s recent announcement of a truce with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a move that reportedly took Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by surprise and could influence regional balances.

The content of the confrontation remains confidential, but the timing chosen and the delicacy of the topics addressed confirm the centrality of the Iran dossier and the complex network of relations in the Middle East that the Trump administration intends to strengthen before the regional summit.

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