Mike Herzog, the former Israeli ambassador to the United States, has revealed what he believes went on behind the scenes during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to the White House
According to him, the main reason for the hastily organized trip was the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
Herzog, who is also a retired general and an expert on relations between Israel and the Middle East, explained in an interview with the Maariv newspaper that the urgency of the visit came from a decision by the US government.
The US decided to start negotiations with Iran immediately and wanted to inform Israel to ensure that the two countries were on the same page.
Why is Iran such a concern?
Herzog stressed that Israel is not against diplomatic talks on Iran’s nuclear program, but is very cautious.
That’s because previous negotiations have failed, and Iran’s nuclear program has advanced so much that it is hard to believe that diplomacy alone can resolve the situation.
Even so, he sees a limited window of opportunity for military action if necessary.
Israel has two major concerns: first, that Iran will drag out the negotiations to buy time; and second, that the US, in its rush to reach an agreement, will make concessions that will result in a bad deal.
Netanyahu advocates a very strict model, called the “Libyan model,” which requires the total destruction of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Herzog believes that Iran will never accept this condition, as he has recently stated.
Then the question arises: Will the US insist on this model? And if Iran refuses, what happens?
What is at stake in the negotiations?
Herzog believes that Israel needs to agree with the US on some crucial points before talks with Iran:
What will the negotiations be about? Only nuclear infrastructure or also missiles (which can carry nuclear weapons) and other issues?
What demands will the US make of Iran, and how much is it willing to give?
How long will the negotiations last, given that Iran may try to stall?
If Iran rejects the deal, would the US support military action? And if so, would it be led by Israel, the US or both?
Some people thought Netanyahu seemed surprised during a press conference with President Donald Trump.
Herzog, however, believes he was already aware of the negotiations, but perhaps did not expect Trump to announce them publicly so quickly.
Irã propõe acordo nuclear temporário em negociações com os EUA, dizem fontes#Acordonuclear
— Israel Agora e Sempre?????? (@AgoraIsrael) April 10, 2025
O Irã pensa em sugerir um acordo nuclear temporário antes de buscar um acordo mais completo, segundo um diplomata europeu e outra fonte que conhece o assunto
Veja:https://t.co/msmJiR4Uzv pic.twitter.com/Q3uRydAxhZ
Iran is considering offering a temporary nuclear deal before seeking a more comprehensive agreement, according to a European diplomat and another source familiar with the matter
Trump’s rush:
Trump surprised everyone by saying he wants to conclude negotiations with Iran in just two months.
For Herzog, this shows that the US will not let Iran drag out the talks for too long.
Still, two months is a short time frame for such a complicated agreement, as negotiations like this usually take longer.
Herzog warns that Iran’s nuclear program is at a dangerous stage.
Today, it would take Iran less than a week to produce enough material for a nuclear bomb – the so-called “breakthrough time”.
In addition, the country has enough enriched uranium to make 17 nuclear warheads.
“That’s a lot,” he emphasized.
With Iran weakened at the moment, Herzog sees a unique opportunity to act, but it will not last forever.
Iran can recover, strengthen its defenses and further protect its nuclear program.
He also noted that a clause in the 2015 nuclear agreement that allows for the automatic return of international sanctions expires in October.
For this reason, the next few months are decisive.
The issue of trade tariffs
Another topic discussed between Netanyahu and Trump was tariff policy.
Trump temporarily froze tariffs above 10% for three months, but did not promise to reduce the 17% tariff on Israeli products.
Even so, Herzog said that the visit opened a channel for dialogue to try to lower these rates.
He explained that the issue of tariffs did not catch Israel by surprise, since Trump had already talked about it during the campaign.
Months ago, Herzog and other diplomats had already warned the Israeli government to prepare.
In addition to the economy, the visit had an important diplomatic side.
For Netanyahu, it was a chance to show that he was the first leader to discuss tariffs with Trump in the White House.
For Trump, receiving Israel, a close ally, strengthened his image.
The war in Gaza:
The third topic discussed was the situation in Gaza.
Herzog revealed that Israel and the US are working on a possible temporary deal, something between “Phase A” (which has already happened) and “Phase B” (which would mean an end to the war, something Israel wants to avoid for now).
Such a deal could allow for the release of more hostages.
There are currently three proposed hostage deals: one from Egypt, one from Hamas, and another called Vitec.
A temporary deal would postpone the decision on whether to prioritize the release of the hostages or to overthrow Hamas.
Herzog believes that the release of the hostages should come first and believes that Trump wants to move forward with a deal.
For now, Trump is giving Israel free rein, but he has already shown that he would like to see the war end.
Herzog would not be surprised if Trump eventually pressures Netanyahu to accept a full deal for the hostages and end the conflict.
“I don’t think Trump will let the war in Gaza go on forever, both because of the hostages and because he wants to focus on other priorities,” he said.
Concerns about Turkey in Syria
The fourth issue was Turkey’s presence in Syria, which worries Israel.
Turkey, which has become increasingly hostile to Israel, is expanding its military influence in Syria.
This could limit Israel’s freedom of action in the region and even affect military options regarding Iran.
Trump has offered to use his relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to mediate between Israel and Turkey, but Herzog is not very confident in this idea.
He would prefer that Israel and Turkey talk directly about the issue.
Conclusion:
Netanyahu’s visit to the US was much more than a simple meeting.
The main focus was the danger of Iran’s nuclear program, but other issues, such as tariffs, Gaza and Turkey, were also on the table.
With Iran rapidly advancing its nuclear program and time running out, the decisions made in the coming months will be crucial for the security of Israel and the region.
Published in 04/11/2025 11h10
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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