Post-ceasefire strategy on Iran top of agenda in Netanyahu-Trump talks — What’s next?

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to frame what he calls a victory over Iran—by preventing its attempt to "annihilate Israel"—through a meeting in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The meeting is intended to coordinate positions between Israel and the United States, with Netanyahu aiming to emphasize Washington's longstanding support for Israel.

This comes as Israel pushes to formalize the verbal ceasefire agreement with Iran into a written document that includes U.S. guarantees to prevent Tehran from advancing its nuclear and missile capabilities.

The effort follows disagreements within Israel's security cabinet over the timing of the ceasefire and a gap between Israel's declared achievements and its actual success in dismantling Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

Israeli officials are now weighing several post-ceasefire scenarios.

The first involves continuing both overt and covert efforts to undermine the Iranian regime and strengthen opposition forces. If successful, this approach could pave the way for addressing Tehran's nuclear and missile programs, according to Israeli assessments.

The second scenario envisions renewed U.S.-Iran negotiations leading to a new agreement—stronger than the 2015 deal—with comprehensive, unrestricted inspections and no expiration date, along with meaningful steps to eliminate Iran's remaining nuclear weapons capabilities.

The third scenario is military: monitoring any signs that Iran is moving toward producing a nuclear weapon and coordinating with Washington to prevent it.

While the full extent of damage caused by Israel to Iran—largely public—and by Iran to Israel—mostly classified due to military censorship—remains unclear, Israel is now facing a new crisis: the displacement of thousands of residents from Haifa, Tel Aviv, surrounding areas, and the south, to allow for the reconstruction of streets, buildings, and homes damaged by Iranian strikes.